Latte () or caffè latte (), also known as , or , is a coffee drink 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 ...

origin made with

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 steamed

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. ...

, traditionally served in a glass. Variants include the chocolate-flavored '' caffè mocha'' or replacing the coffee with another beverage base such as

masala chai Masala chai (; ) is a popular beverage originating from South Asia. It is made by brewing black tea (usually crush, tear, curl) in milk and water, and then by sweetening with sugar. Adding aromatic herbs and spices creates masala chai. The t ...

(spiced Indian tea), mate,

matcha is a finely ground powder of green tea specially processed from shade-grown tea leaves. Shade growing gives matcha its characteristic bright green color and strong umami flavor. Matcha is typically consumed suspended in hot water. Matcha ori ...

turmeric Turmeric (), or ''Curcuma longa'' (), is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between and high ...

rooibos Rooibos ( ; , ), or , is a broom (shrub), broom-like member of the plant family Fabaceae that grows in South Africa's Fynbos biome. The leaves are used to make a caffeine-free herbal tea, herbal infusion that has been popular in Southern Afri ...

; alternatives to milk, such as

soy milk Soy milk (or soymilk), also known as soya milk, is a plant-based milk produced by soaking and grinding soybeans, boiling the mixture, and filtering out remaining particulates. It is a stable emulsion of oil, water, and protein. Its original ...

coconut milk Coconut milk is a plant milk extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of the milky-white liquid are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingred ...

almond milk Almond milk is a plant-based milk substitute with a watery texture and nutty flavor manufactured from almonds, although some types or brands are flavored in imitation of cow's milk. It does not contain cholesterol or lactose and is low in saturat ...

oat milk Oat milk is a plant milk derived from whole oat (''Avena spp.'') grains by extracting the plant material with water. Oat milk has a creamy texture and mild oatmeal-like flavor, and is manufactured in various flavors, such as sweetened, unsweete ...

, are also used. The term comes from or (from , ); in

English orthography English orthography comprises the set of rules used when writing the English language, allowing readers and writers to associate written graphemes with the sounds of spoken English, as well as other features of the language. English's orthograp ...

, either or both words sometimes have an accent on the final ''e'' (a

hyperforeignism A hyperforeignism is a type of hypercorrection where speakers identify an inaccurate pattern in loanwords from a foreign language and then apply that pattern to other loanwords (either from the same language or a different one). This results in a ...

in the case of *''latté''). In Northern Europe and Scandinavia, the term has traditionally been used for the combination of espresso and milk. In France, is from the original name of the beverage (caffè latte); a combination of espresso and steamed milk equivalent to a "latte" is in French called ( using cream instead of milk) and in German .

Definition and etymology

Definition

A caffè latte consists of one or more shots of

, served in a glass (or sometimes a cup), into which hot steamed milk is added. The difference between a caffè latte and a

cappuccino Cappuccino (, ; from German ) is an espresso-based coffee drink traditionally prepared with steamed milk, including a layer of milk foam. Variations of the drink involve the use of cream instead of milk, using non-dairy milk substitutes ...

is that the cappuccino is served in a small cup with a layer of thick foam on top of the milk, and a caffè latte is served in a larger glass (or cup), without the layer of thick foam. Thus, a caffè latte is much milkier than a cappuccino, resulting in a milder coffee taste. The way the milk is steamed for a caffè latte results in very fine bubbles being incorporated in the hot milk. This

microfoam Microfoam is finely textured milk used for making espresso-based coffee drinks, particularly those with latte art. It is typically made with the steam wand of an espresso machine, which pumps steam into a pitcher of milk. The opposite of microfo ...

can be poured in such a way as to form patterns in the white microfoam and brown crema ( latte art). The texture of the microfoam changes the taste and feel of the drink. A similar drink is the , which is also served in a glass, but the espresso is added to the glass after the steamed milk. In Italy, milky coffee drinks such as caffè latte, , and cappuccino are often prepared for breakfast only. In the United States, a latte is often heavily sweetened with 3% sugar (or even more). These sweeteners usually come in the form of refined white sugars,

artificial sweeteners A sugar substitute or artificial sweetener, is a food additive that provides a sweetness like that of sugar while containing significantly less food energy than sugar-based sweeteners, making it a zero-calorie () or low-calorie sweetener. Arti ...

or agave syrup.

Etymology

In English-speaking countries, is shorthand for or (from , ), which is similar to the French , the Spanish , the Catalan or the Portuguese . According to the ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

'', the term was first used in English in 1867 by

William Dean Howells William Dean Howells ( ; March 1, 1837 – May 11, 1920) was an American Realism (arts), realist novelist, literary critic, playwright, and diplomat, nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters". He was particularly known for his tenure as editor of ...

in his essay "Italian Journeys", but as this preceded the spread of

espresso machine An espresso machine brews coffee by forcing pressurized water near boiling point through a "puck" of ground coffee and a filter in order to produce a thick, concentrated coffee called espresso. Multiple machine designs have been created to produ ...

s, this drink would have been "nothing like the lattes found today at specialty coffee shops".

History

Origin

The drink is thought to have "technically originated" in 17th-century Europe. The modern caffè latte appeared in the 20th century, following the invention of the espresso machine in the 19th century.

Outside Europe

In the United States, latte was popularized in Seattle, Washington, in the early 1980s. In South Korea, espresso and its variants (cappuccino, latte, and ''caffè mocha'') became popular in 2000.

Notes

References

Sister projects

{{Authority control Italian drinks Coffee drinks Espresso drinks Italian words and phrases de:Milchkaffee