I·ATE Food Term: Coffee to go…caffeine varieties in Europe

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It might be considered as a lot of people’s best friend and the first choice for the majority of people to wake up to. Its smell can be as pleasant as it can be pungent if you’re not a fan, but no one can deny the great job it does in keeping you awake in moments of dire need. We’re talking about coffee of course!

Having given you a very detailed introduction to coffees in last week’s I-ATE article, this week we’ll take a closer look at some of the varieties of coffee-based drinks that can be found  across the continent and even beyond. However, these are only a few since the list of coffee-based drinks is abundant.

FOOD TERM OF THE WEEK - Coffee

Irish Coffee

One of the most common additions to the traditional coffee, apart from milk, would probably be alcohol, especially in the winter months.

A very popular variety to the classic coffee with the addition of alcohol is definitely Irish coffee which dates back at least 100 years. It is believed that this drink originated in Limerick in the southwest of Ireland when a group of American passengers disembarked from a seaplane and were offered a coffee with added whiskey to warm them up. When they asked if the coffee that they were drinking was Brazilian coffee, the reply was, ‘This is Irish Coffee’.

This drink is not too difficult to prepare, as it includes only 4 ingredients: hot coffee, Irish whiskey, fresh cream and sugar which ideally would be brown sugar. The coffee, whiskey and sugar are heated up together and then served in a typical Irish coffee mug, and topped with fresh cream.

Turkish Coffee

For this Eastern delicacy, you not only require specific ingredients, but also the proper utensils as you would need an authentic Turkish coffee pot.

This kind of coffee doesn’t specify which kind it requires, however a medium roast would be needed since this drink needs to be cooked again. This method of coffee-making has two main features: the sugar is added before the start of the cooking process and the boiling is done in a very slow manner.

Also, it is notable that coffee is distributed in individual cups after frothing, and the remainder is returned to the fire.

Greek Frappé

This delicious version of the coffee-based drink is ideal for the summer months as a replacement for hot coffee since it is served ice cold, whilst still including the compulsory caffeine dose.

The Greek Frappé was invented in the Greek city of Thessaloniki and is today considered one of the most popular drinks in the county. This drink can be prepared in a cocktail shaker or even a mixer, using instant coffee, sugar and water with milk being optional. These ingredients are shaken together and served cold with ice cubes in a tall glass.

Café Liégeois

Originally known as the ‘Viennese coffee’, French people renamed this coffee desert “Café liégeois” to honour the city of Liège in Belgium during the Battle of Liège that took place in 1914.

This drink is also served cold, and is pretty simple to make since it requires only a handful of ingredients: coffee flavoured ice-cream, whipped cream, and espresso shots. The method is fairly simple too: just put two scoops of ice-cream in a tall glass, top with espresso coffee and finish off with the whipped cream.

Enjoy!


Sources:

  • ‘Frappe Coffee’, Wikipedia; Available here. [Accessed  08/12/2017]
  • ‘How to make Greek frappe’, Omlio; Available here. [Accessed 07/12/2017]
  • ‘Irish Coffee’, Wikipedia; Available here. [Accessed 08/12/2017]
  • ‘How to make Turkish Coffee’, Turkish Coffee World; Available here. [Accessed 06/12/2017]
  • ‘Turkish Coffee’, Wikipedia; Available here. [Accessed 08/12/2017]
  • ‘Le café liégeois: une histoire de bravoure’, Province de Liège; Available here [Accessed on December 2017]

Written by

Veronica Lynn Mizzi – Schuman Trainee at the Terminology Coordination Unit of the European Parliament. Graduate in the Maltese Language and Communication, and Master’s graduate in Translation and Terminology Studies from the University of Malta; Former Journalist

Anaïs GilkinTrainee at the Terminology Coordination Unit of the European Parliament (Luxembourg). Graduate in Translation and Interpreting, and Master’s graduate in Translation and Terminology Studies from the Université  Catholique de Louvain; Translator.