Why do Italians drink coffee after dinner? “The espresso after dinner is ordered only if the meal was heavy, and they also 'correct' the espresso by adding grappa, known as 'the corretto,'” Milos says. The habit might also have to do with the fact that Italians stay up later.
After midday Italians drink their coffee black and will happily continue drinking into the evening. Later in the day, they may well add a slug of grappa or other liquor to their espresso to create a caffè corretto, but they would never consider adding milk.
While it may seem strange to some, the custom of not ordering a cappuccino after 11am in Italy is rooted in tradition and the belief that the drink is best suited for the morning. It's a cultural norm that has been passed down through generations, but as with any culture, things are changing and evolving with time.
Thou shalt only drink cappuccino, caffé latte, latte macchiato or any milky form of coffee in the morning, and never after a meal. Italians cringe at the thought of all that hot milk hitting a full stomach. An American friend of mine who has lived in Rome for many years continues, knowingly, to break this rule.
Most Italians drink at least 1 cup a day (for breakfast). But it is not uncommon to add a mid-morning, after lunch, mid-afternoon, and even an after dinner or late night cup. There certainly are Italians who don't drink coffee, but they are a definite minority.
Espresso really rules in Italy and can be taken at any time of the day. It is especially popular at mid-morning and after lunch and dinner. Don't forget that espresso is customarily called caffè in Italy. Italians love their caffè so much that they even have chocolates (pictured above) filled with a shot of espresso.
Back in the 16th century, as the global coffee trade was exploding, coffee beans were first introduced to Europe through trading ports in Venice. Coffee shops started to open in the cities, becoming meeting places for the local intelligentsia, then becoming more of a social space for wider society.
Italians drink coffee just about any time of day, but they'll often have an espresso after dinner. According to Italians, coffee oils actually aid digestion. making it ideal after they've finished eating. Bellissimo vol.
Coffee is just as nuanced and complex, if not more so, than wine. And a great coffee, so the chorus goes, doesn't need sugar to taste great—it tastes great on its own! But in the tradition of Italian espresso, sugar is almost always added.
How Italians drink their coffee - In bars, coffee is often served with a small glass of water; the water is supposed to be drunk first to cleanse the palate. - In some busy bars (especially train stations), you must pay for your coffee upfront at a till and then present your receipt to the barista.
To serve coffee with elegance, respecting one of the most important symbols of Italian tradition, water should never be missing. The water has a very important function: it allows you to better taste the coffee and clearly distinguish the characteristics of the blend you are drinking.
The minimum age to legally drink alcohol in Italy is 18, like in many other European countries (Spain, France, Portugal, etc.).
The legal drinking age in Italy is the same for tourists as it is for residents: 18 years old. It's important to note that while the legal drinking age in Italy is relatively low compared to other countries, it's still illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to purchase or consume alcohol in public places.
Don't order a cappuccino after noon
Italians have a thing about drinking cappuccino after noon. It's just not done (some say it's because the milk and foam makes it a replacement for a meal, and all that dairy upsets the digestion).
The most common classic breakfast food in Italy is the “cornetto”, or croissant. A cornetto is often filled with some kind of cream, custard, jam or chocolate spread, and accompanied by a coffee.
Why do Italians drink coffee after dinner? “The espresso after dinner is ordered only if the meal was heavy, and they also 'correct' the espresso by adding grappa, known as 'the corretto,'” Milos says. The habit might also have to do with the fact that Italians stay up later.
The cappuccino is arguably the most popular type of coffee drink in Italy that includes milk, made with equal parts Italian espresso, steamed milk, and milk foam. Since cappuccinos have quite a bit of milk, Italians only drink this particular type of coffee in the morning.
The word for sugar in Italian is zucchero (masculine, plural: zuccheri).
Caffè latte translates to coffee and milk.
Historians believe it originated to give farmers time to rest and restore energy in hot climates, but now Spain, Italy and other European countries use the midday pause to go home, eat a leisurely lunch with family and often nap.
The secret behind the authentic and distinct taste of the Italian espresso lies in the roasting procedure for the coffee beans, independently from the country of origin. Italians tend to roast the beans on the darker side of the spectrum, producing dark and oily beans with a high amount of caffeine.
The theories behind the espresso romano
One commonly agreed upon theory is that during World Wars I and II, when Italians relied on coffee brought by U.S. troops, they used lemon to balance the bitterness of the low-quality beans in instant coffee (via Perfect Daily Grind).
The most popular coffee drink in Italy is a cappuccino. Of course, espresso is still the base of this coffee but with a creamy and mild taste due to the added equal amounts of milk and foam. Caffè cappuccino is best consumed at home or as you linger at the coffee bar.
Among the most popular Italian coffees are the standard espresso, the ristretto (a shorter espresso), the double espresso, the macchiato (espresso stained with milk), the marocchino (espresso, chocolate syrup, milk and cocoa), the cappuccino (espresso with whipped milk foam), the caffelatte (coffee and milk in similar ...
A cafe is actually called a “bar” in Italy
First, it's important to know that what we call a “café”, Italians call a “bar”. (What's especially confusing, but we'll get to in a minute, is that caffè actually means “coffee”.)