Bicerin () is a traditional hot drink native to
Turin
Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
, Italy, made of
ganache (a type of thick
hot chocolate
Hot Chocolate are a British soul band formed by Errol Brown and Tony Wilson. The group had at least one hit song every year on the UK Singles Chart from 1970 to 1984.
Their hits include " You Sexy Thing", a UK number two which also made ...
),
espresso
Espresso (, ) is a concentrated form of coffee produced by forcing hot water under high pressure through finely ground coffee beans. Originating in Italy, espresso has become one of the most popular coffee-brewing methods worldwide. It is cha ...
, and frothed
milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...
, served layered in a small glass.
Origin
The word is the equivalent of
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
(diminutive of , ).
This coffee beverage has existed since the 18th century and was praised by
Alexandre Dumas
Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright.
His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...
in 1852. It is believed to be based on the 17th-century drink ''bavarèisa'' ('Bavarian'): the key distinction is that in a ''bicerin'' the three components are carefully layered in the glass rather than being mixed together.
Caffè al Bicerin, which sits across from the
Santuario della Consolata in
Turin
Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
's piazza della Consolata, has been serving the drink since the 18th century. Local lore suggests that ''bicerin'' was invented at Caffė al Bicerin or at Caffė Fiorio .
Liqueur
The Vincenzi Family Distillery in Turin also produces a chocolate hazelnut liqueur under this name.
See also
*
Piedmontese cuisine
*
List of coffee drinks
Coffee drinks are made by brewing water with ground coffee beans. The brewing is either done slowly, by Coffee filter, drip, filter, French press, moka pot or Coffee percolator, percolator, or done very quickly, under pressure, by an espresso m ...
*
List of chocolate drinks
* ''
Espressino'' and ''
marocchino'' – similar drinks
References
External links
Bicerin at prodottitipici.it (archived 27 September 2006)
Cuisine of Piedmont
Culture in Turin
Coffee in Italy
Coffee drinks
Chocolate drinks
Espresso
{{Italy-cuisine-stub