Un caffè! A coffee please! Wait, make it a macchiato freddo.
Would you like to join me? See you at the cafe tomorrow morning. By the way, we are not meeting at any cafe in Torino, instead we are going to a historic cafe. I feel like having a coffee in a place that has been around for a while. How about a couple of centuries? Torinesi, the inhabitants of Torino have been continuously socializing in historic cafes for at least over a century, and we are going to join them; matter of fact I don't know of a better way to get to know them, and to blend in with the crowd.
What do you know about Torino and its Caffè?
Torino, Piedmont's capital became internationally well known in 2006 thanks to the Winter Olympics that it hosted. A city with a royal pedigree, Torino was the first capital of Italy when the country was created in 1861. Italians identify Torino with the monarchy of Savoia, FIAT - the oldest car industry in the country and gianduja chocolate. Gianduja is a unique flavor of chocolate, and also an ice cream flavor in Torino. Situated near the river Po and surrounded by the Alps, Torino is a city with a great deal to offer to visitors. And the best way to absorb the atmosphere and culture of the city is by spending time at its historic cafes, caffè storici. Torinesi love socializing with their acquaintances, colleagues and family while having their coffee. They may drink it in a hurry, or indulge it in good company; either way, coffee is always a great excuse to get away from their daily routine. Drinking coffee can be considered a cultural norm in Torino and the rest of the country; Italians love their coffee. Probably that's why Italian coffee drinks are still a standard by which all other coffee drinks are measured! You can choose among multiple kinds of caffè. However, one size fits all - that's right! There is only one size small cup. A coffee ordered at a bar is always espresso; if you like, you can add milk, whipped cream, or liquor to it, but in the end it is still an espresso.
So what kind of coffee could you order?
Let's see! There are a few options in addition to a regular caffè. A caffè macchiato is an espresso with a few drops of milk; when you order it the bartender usually will ask you if you want a macchiato caldo or macchiato freddo. He is trying to find out how you want your milk, respectively hot or cold. If you are concerned about having too much caffeine, order a caffè ristretto; it is a concentrated espresso obtained with little liquid; in fact, there are only 15-20 millimeters of coffee in the cup and very little caffeine - it has less caffeine than other coffees on the menu. On the other hand if you need a boost of caffeine to endure the long day ahead of you, try a caffè lungo; it is obtained by letting flow more water resulting in a drink with less aroma but more caffeine; there are about 130 - 170 ml of coffee in the cup versus about 50 - 60 ml of a regular caffè. A nice compromise between a caffè and a caffè lungo is a caffè doppio; indulge in a double espresso! It has less caffeine than a caffè lungo, but it retains the aroma. If you have a sweet tooth, caffè con panna, coffee with whipped cream may be the right choice for you. Last, if you have just had a big meal, add a kick to your coffe! Add grappa! The Italian strong liquor is a favorite addition to a cup of coffee; to try it, order a caffè corretto. It will help you to digest better. As you can see there is more than one way to prepare an espresso.
Why an Historic Cafe, Caffè Storico?
Because in addition to being a beautiful cafe with an ambience of the past still retained today, often it has its specialty drinks, confections, and finger food - all made in-house. In the past, members of the royal family, politicians, poets, and artists frequented the cafes in Torino. The story goes that often King Carlo Alberto used to ask his counselors what people were saying in the cafes - it seems that part of Italian history has been written in the cafes of Torino. Today we still enjoy the very same cafes and what they have to offer. You will get a taste of sub-alpine favorites. So what do they have to offer? Let's start with finger food!
The owners of Caffè Mulassano (since 1907) invented tramezzini, small sandwiches with a wide variety of flavors; back then a novelty, but nowadays a very common bar finger food. Every region makes them based on its taste and traditions, if you go to the Mulassano try the "bagna cauda" tramezzino - a very unique Piedmontese flavor! And if you are with friends and you are not sure who is going to pay the bill, ask to use the clock behind the counter! It is not a regular clock; in fact, it has nothing to do with measuring time, instead it determines who is responsible to cover the bill. Were you the lucky one to be chosen by the clock?
Next, let's go to taste a specialty drink that happens to be the official drink of Piedmont! A drink that the prime minister Cavour back in the days of the monarchy used to sip, and like him Alexander Dumas, and Umberto Eco. We are joining them at the Caffè Al Bicerin (since 1763), where we will order a bicerin (pronounced biche'rin) which in the local dialect means "small glass".
So what did you think? Did you like the combination of the three main ingredients: coffee, chocolate and cream?
I hope you didn't mix your drink; it is said that the best way to indulge it it's by savoring slowly one ingredient after the next - they each have a different temperature. Drinking a bicerin is a very unique experience. I had it in a very hot summer day and yet, it felt refreshing even though it is not considered a cold drink. Interestingly enough the coffee has to be prepared differently than the usual espresso; in order to be faithful to the original recipe this drink has to have a coffee with a certain consistency, more liquid than usual since in the past there were no espresso machines. The chocolate is also prepared differently; it is slowly cooked for hours in copper pots to maintain low acidity and its aroma. It's that kind of a drink that cannot be prepared in a rush, thus I am inviting you to sit at the table and make yourself comfortable. Engage with Torinesi! Now it is a good time to do it.
If you visit more than one historic cafe you may find that bicerin is a popular item on the menus. Other choices favored by the locals are cappuccino, cioccolata calda con crema chantilly (hot chocolate with chantilly cream), and aperitivo drinks.
I would not be surprised to hear that you fell in love with Torino and its historic cafes. In that case a great gift to bring home that fits easily in your luggage are chocolate truffles from Baratti & Milano (since 1858). The cafe is well known for its chocolate products; try cremini, cuneesi, braidesi or gianduiotti! It is a hard to select one truffle versus the other; so, bring home a variety of them! What a great way to let your friends and family back home taste a speck of Italy, and share your enthusiasm with you.
Here is a small list of Caffè Storici
This brings me to end of this post, and to my final questions; which are the historic cafes? And where are they located in the city?
Well, here they are! The following list is not complete, these are the Caffè where I have been while I was living in Torino, and the great majority is in the same area.
1. Al Bicerin, Piazza della Consolata, 5
2. Mulassano, Piazza Castello, 15
3. Baratti & Milano, Piazza Castello, 27
4. Fiorio, Via Po, 8
5. Torino, Piazza San Carlo, 204
6. San Carlo, Piazza San Carlo, 156
7. Stratta, Piazza San Carlo, 191
8. Platti, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 72
Let me know which one was your favorite by leaving a comment to this post.
For now I leave you to your coffee. As the Torinesi say: Cerea!
Comments