If we must talk about Italian gelato, it would be fair to begin with caffè-latte by Pellegrino Artusi. First, because it tastes delicious and second, because it tastes Italian. I'm not a regular coffee-drinker. In truth, I hardly ever drink coffee but I love coffee flavor in milk-based desserts and that is a fact. Pellegrino dedicated a few pages of Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well (1891) to coffee, praising its quality to enhance our thinking capacity. He also flavored some of his loveliest recipes with coffee, including torta tedesca.
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| Caffè Greco in Rome - Ludwig Passini, 1856 |
Coffee was introduced to Europe by the Ottoman Turks, presumably after the Battle of Mohács in 1526. To Italy, however, it was brought via trade with Africa & the Middle East. The country boasts some of the oldest coffee houses in Europe, such as Caffè Florian in Venice, Antico Caffè Greco in Rome, Caffè Pedrocchi in Padua, Caffè dell'Ussero in Pisa and Caffè Fiorio in Turin - opened between 1720 and 1780. Political and literary figures would spend endless hours in those places and in Caffè Florian even women could join in. Although milk-enhanced coffee had been popular since the early days, latte was not recorded in any coffee house menu.
Artusi had the recipe for caffè-latte gelato published in a newer edition of Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well. The espresso machine was invented by a Frenchman at the beginning of the century with improved models being patented every few years, and by Italian designers. Pellegrino's ingredient list, however, mentioned just 'coffee'.
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