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Transcription
Coffee is deeply ingrained in Italian culture, with Italy being the birthplace of popular coffee terms like espresso and cappuccino. Italian coffee rituals involve specific techniques and equipment, such as the five Ms: blend, machine, grinder, maintenance, and skill. Cappuccinos are traditionally only consumed in the morning due to Italian digestion beliefs. Coffee is often enjoyed standing up at a bar while chatting with the barista. Italy is home to the University of Coffee, which offers courses for baristas and coffee professionals. In addition to espresso, there are various coffee variations, including caffè macchiato, caffè corretto, shakerato, and granita di caffè. We are happy to bring you this report on coffee rituals in Italy. It is a cultural mainstay, coffee, and the country in Italy, I mean, it's perhaps the drink spiritual home. It's Italy that's given us the lingo of coffee, espresso, cappuccino, latte. And here's Silvia Pagoli, invites us to join her for a cup and explore the rituals of coffee drinking in Italy. Drinking coffee is woven into the fabric of Italian culture. Rome is home to thousands of cafes. I'm in the Munti neighborhood at Caffè Erbarretto. Owner Marco Eskandar, an Egyptian by birth and longtime Italian resident, reveals the secrets of good espresso. It's the five Ms, says Eskandar. Mischela, blend, macchina, the coffee machine, macchinino, the grinder, manutenzione, machine maintenance, and mano, the skill of the barista. He's also a master of cappuccino, espresso and milk named for the color of the robes of Capuchin monks. While the coffee brews, he twirls a metal pitcher of milk under a spout of steam. When the milk turns frothy, he carefully pours it over the espresso. Making it the canvas for a little work of art, a white tulip. According to local custom, I am violating an Italian taboo. It's afternoon and cappuccino is considered a breakfast beverage, never ever to be consumed after late morning. Elizabeth Minchilli, an American who writes about Italian food, wine, and culture, says this unwritten law derives from a national obsession with digestion. I don't think after a meal, you'd have a warm cup of milk. It's pesante, it's heavy. Minchilli often warns Americans that if they order a latte here, all they'll get is a glass of milk. She stresses that Italian coffee culture has much to do with when and where the beverage is consumed. It's always a social occasion, whether it's in the morning or the afternoon or six o'clock in the evening, and there's rituals that go along with it. The most common ritual is drinking coffee standing up at a bar, chatting with the barista. Here in Rome, you'll often hear a person order an espresso or cappuccino served in a glass. Many claim it tastes better than in a porcelain cup. Coffee was introduced to Europe in the 17th century, but it wasn't until the invention of a steam-driven coffee-making machine by an Italian in the late 19th century that Italy gave the world espresso. It's a method to brew finely ground and compacted coffee very fast with very hot water at very high pressure, and it's brewed fresh every time. So you need an espresso, you ask an espresso, and the barista will serve immediately the espresso just for you. That's Moreno Faina speaking over Skype. He's the director of the University of Coffee. Yes, Italy is home to the University of Coffee. It's run by the Italy Coffee Company in Trieste and holds courses for baristas, coffee producers, and coffee bar managers. Other than espresso, there are many varieties to choose from, from caffè macchiato, stained with a swirl of milk, to caffè corretto, an espresso corrected with a shot of grappa or cognac. And for summer, says Minchilli, there are refreshing variations. Shakerato is when they put a shot of espresso into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until it gets foamy and the ice kind of melts and crystallizes, and then they pour it into a goblet, and that's fantastic. Then there's granita di caffè, a frozen mix of coffee, sugar, and water usually served with a big dollop of whipped cream on top, which is how Italians turn their beloved espresso even into dessert. Silvio Polgioli, NPR News, Rome.
