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Frappé coffee

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For other uses, see Frappé.

Frappé
Frappe
Classic frappé with no milk
TypeIced coffee
Place of originGreece
Created byDimitris Vakondios (Δημήτρης Βακόνδιος)
Main ingredientsInstant coffee, sugar, milk, water

A frappé coffee, cold coffee, Greek frappé, or just frappé (Greek: φραπέ, frapé [fraˈpe]) is a Greek iced coffee drink generally made from spray-dried instant coffee, water, sugar, and milk.[1] The word is often written frappe (without an accent). The frappé was invented in 1957 in Thessaloniki[2][3][4][5] through experimentation by Dimitris Vakondios, a Nescafe representative. Greek Christos Lenzos (1930-2023),[6][7] a coffeehouse (1964-2013) owner in Pangrati, has been recognized for his self-made version of Greek frappé coffee. Frappés are among the most popular forms of coffee in Greece and Cyprus and have become a hallmark of postwar outdoor Greek coffee culture.

This Greek invention should not be confused with the Frappuccino, a trademarked name now owned by Starbucks. The Frappuccino was invented in Boston, Massachusetts in 1992 by Andrew Frank, an employee of the Coffee Connection. The name derives from "frappe" (pronounced /fræp/ and spelled without the accent)—the New England name for a thick milkshake with ice cream, derived from the French word lait frappé (beaten milk)—and cappuccino.[8][9]

Because "frappuccino" is trade-marked, some Starbucks's competitors drop the "uccino" and just call their competing drink a "frappe", sometimes adding an accent mark to make it "frappé".

History

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The name frappé ('punched', figuratively 'shaken') comes from French, which describes drinks chilled with ice.[10] Beginning in the 19th century, a variety of cold coffee drinks named café frappé (à la glace) are documented, some similar to slushies[11][12] and others more like iced coffee.[13]

The Greek version of café frappé, using instant coffee, was invented in 1957 at the Thessaloniki International Fair. A representative of the Nestlé company, Giannis Dritsas, was exhibiting a new product for children. It was a chocolate beverage produced instantly by mixing it with milk and shaking it in a shaker. Dritsas' employee, Dimitris Vakondios, was looking for a way to have his usual instant coffee during his break but could not find any hot water, so, he mixed the coffee with cold water and ice cubes in a shaker.[5][14]

This improvised experiment established the frappé which quickly grew in popularity in Greece. Nestlé capitalized on the drink with intense marketing campaigns in the 1980s that broadened the drink's popularity and left the brand name Nescafé inextricably linked with the frappé.[5] Today, the drink is usually simply called a 'frappé' in Greece, but in the past, it was often called a 'Nescafé frappé'.[15][16][17]

Preparation

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A frappé can be made with a cocktail shaker or, more commonly today, with an electric milk frother or milkshake machine. First, instant coffee (traditionally Nescafé), sugar (optional), and a little water are shaken or blended together until a thick foam is made.[18] This is poured into the serving glass with ice cubes and cold water. Milk (traditionally evaporated milk or sometimes condensed milk) is optionally added to it. The drink is almost always served with a drinking straw as the thick foam formed on top is considered unpleasantly bitter by many.[1][5][19]

Frothy top

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A frappé with milk

The spray-dried instant coffee used to make a frappé contains nearly no oil and this allows the frappé's characteristically thick layer of foam to form. Frappé foam is similar to crema, the foam found in espresso, but thicker and longer lasting due to its oilless composition. It is a three-phase colloid of air bubbles, coffee solids, and water. Depending on the initial size of the foam's bubbles and the frappé's sugar content, water drains from the foam over the course of 2–10 minutes. It will thicken until it forms a nearly solid foam, which then slowly dissipates. Frappés made with freshly brewed coffee or freeze-dried instant coffee, both of which contain significantly more oils than spray-dried instant coffee, produce only short-lived foams.[1] Moreover, the method of preparing the frappé can impact the bubbles on top of the coffee. For example, making a frappé by using a handheld shaker produces finer, longer lasting, and more stable bubbles.[1]

A frappé coffee

Terminology and variations

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In Greece, a frappé is generally ordered by specifying sweetness and the option to add milk. For 2 spoonfuls of coffee, the usual sweetness levels are the following:

  • glykós (γλυκός [ɣliˈkos] 'sweet') – 4 spoonfuls sugar
  • métrios (μέτριος [ˈme.tri.os] 'medium') – 2 spoonfuls sugar
  • skétos (σκέτος [ˈsce.tos] 'plain') – no sugar

Milk, usually evaporated milk, is generally not added unless explicitly requested by using the phrase me gála (με γάλα [me ˈɣala] 'with milk'); likewise, it can be explicitly requested without milk by saying horís gála (χωρίς γάλα [xoˈris ˈɣala], 'without milk').[5][19]

A frappé with milk is occasionally called frapógalo (φραπόγαλο [fraˈpoɣalo] 'frappé-milk'). Sometimes, particularly in Cyprus, frappés are made with milk instead of water (besides the water used in the foam). At some establishments, particularly beach bars, alcoholic liqueurs such as Kahlúa or Baileys Irish Cream are added to frappés. Other restaurants offer adding a ball of vanilla ice cream to a frappé instead of milk.[1][20][21] Though not technically frappés (since they are not shaken), some variations are stirred with a spoon when a shaker is not available and this creates a different texture and taste. These variations are generally referred to as koutalátos (κουταλάτος [kutaˈlatos], lit. 'spoon-made') or karavísios (καραβίσιος [karaˈvisios], lit. 'of the ship') because of their association with sailors at sea.[citation needed]

Freddo Espresso and Freddo Cappuccino

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Main article: List of coffee drinks § Greek Freddo preparations

The freddo espresso is a Greek iced espresso which was first made in Athens in 1991 and has grown in popularity since. It is often seen as a "higher quality frappé".[22] The freddo cappuccino is a freddo espresso topped with a cold milk-based foam called afrógala (Greek: αφρόγαλα).

Outside Greece

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Although frappés are commonly associated with Greece, their popularity has grown in other nations in the recent years. Frappés first became broadly known outside of Greece during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, wherein many tourists became fond of them and an article was published in the Los Angeles Times.[19] Immigrants and tourists in Greece have also helped to take the frappé abroad.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Mabbett, Terry (1 October 2007). "Greece in an instant". Tea & Coffee Trade Journal. Retrieved 24 May 2020 – via The Free Dictionary.
  2. ^ "Πού γεννήθηκε ο φραπές: Στην Αθήνα ή στη Θεσσαλονίκη" [Where frappe coffee was born: In Athens or Thessaloniki?]. ieidiseis.gr (in Greek). 29 September 2024. Archived from the original on 29 September 2024.
  3. ^ "Συμβολή στην Ιστορία του Φραπέ" [Contribution to the History of Frappe] (in Greek). Kathimerini. 6 September 2017. Archived from the original on 29 September 2024.
  4. ^ "Φραπέ, η ιστορία του εθνικού μας καφέ" [Frappe, the history of our national coffee] (in Greek). 15 October 2017. Archived from the original on 29 September 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e Souli, Sarah (13 August 2018). "This Freakishly Simple Coffee Drink Is Greece's Favorite Summer Beverag yet but is banned on the island of Skiathos but a campaign to bring it back in time for Joanna's holiday is looking positive". Vice. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Χρήστος Λέντζος: Πέθανε στα 93 του χρόνια ο δημιουργός του πιο διάσημου φραπέ στην Ελλάδα" [Christos Lentzos: The creator of the most famous frappe in Greece passed away at the age of 93] (in Greek). 20 December 2023. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Το καφενείο που σέρβιρε για μισό αιώνα τον καλύτερο φραπέ στην Ελλάδα" [The café that served the best frappe in Greece for half a century]. newsbeast.gr (in Greek). 8 October 2017. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022.
  8. ^ Nanos, Janelle (12 July 2012). "The Story of the Frappuccino: How a chilly coffee drink became a billion dollar behemoth". Boston Magazine. Boston. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Online Etymology Dictionary – Frappe". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  10. ^ "Trésor de la Langue Française informatisé (frappé, II.B.C.)". CNRTL.
  11. ^ Ice-cream and Cakes: A New Collection of Standard Fresh and Original Receipts for Household and Commercial Use. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1883. p. 98 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ Table Talk. Vol. 4. Philadelphia: Table Talk Publishing Company. 1889. p. 149 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ Illustrated London News. Vol. 27. London: The Illustrated London News. 17 July 1920. p. 117 – via Google Books.
  14. ^ Πώς ανακαλύφθηκε ο φραπές τυχαία, το 1957 στη Θεσσαλονίκη κατά τη διάρκεια της Διεθνούς Έκθεσης. Η ελληνική πατέντα δεν σερβίρεται σε κανένα άλλο μέρος του κόσμου... [How the Frappe was discovered by accident, in 1957 in Thessaloniki during the International Fair]. mixanitouxronou.gr (in Greek). Archived from the original on 29 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024. Δεν βρήκε όμως ζεστό νερό και έχοντας δει πολλές φορές το αφεντικό του να παρουσιάζει το σοκολατούχο ρόφημα με το σέικερ, αποφάσισε να κάνει το ίδιο χρησιμοποιώντας αντί για σοκολάτα σε σκόνη, καφέ, που ανακάτεψε με κρύο νερό.
  15. ^ Facaros, Dana (1995). Greek Islands. London: Cadogan Books. p. 30. ISBN 1-86011-010-X – via Internet Archive. ...and it's all the rage in Athens to queue up for a Wendy burger or go out for an Italian-style ice-cream, cappuccino [sic], or Nescafé frappé with sticky cakes at a gelataria.
  16. ^ Kakissis, Joanna (2 May 2008). "36 hours in Athens, Greece". New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022.
  17. ^ Zinovieff, Sofka (2012). The House on Paradise Street. London: Short Books. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-907595-69-1 – via Internet Archive.
  18. ^ Ragkou, Filio (29 September 2024). "Πώς θα φτιάξεις (και θα απολαύσεις) τον καφέ σου like a pro" [How to make (and enjoy) your coffee like a professional] (in Greek). LiFO. Archived from the original on 29 September 2024.
  19. ^ a b c Young, Daniel (18 August 2004). "When the Greeks toss the demitasse". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 29 September 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  20. ^ "Menu Café & Bar" (PDF). theble.gr (in Greek). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  21. ^ "Nescafe Frappe με παγωτό" [Nescafe Frappe coffee with ice cream] (in Greek). Nestlé. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011.
  22. ^ "Ήξερες ότι ο Freddo γεννήθηκε στην Ελλάδα;" [Did you know that Freddo was born in Greece?]. news247.gr (in Greek). 7 August 2018. Archived from the original on 29 September 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2021.

Bibliography

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  • Constantinopoulos, Vivian; Young, Daniel (2008). Frappé Nation. Athens: Editions Potamos. ISBN 9606691012.
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