Cappuccino

A cappuccino is an Italian coffee drink which is traditionally prepared with espresso, hot milk and steamed milk foam. Cream may be used instead of milk and is often topped with cinnamon. It is typically smaller in volume than a caffe latte, with a thicker layer of micro foam.

The name comes from the Capuchin friars, referring to the colour of their habits, and in this context referring to the colour of the beverage when milk is added in small portion to dark, brewed coffee (today mostly espresso). The physical appearance of a modern cappuccino with espresso créma and steamed milk is a result of a long evolution of the drink.

The Viennese bestowed the name "Kapuziner" possibly in the 18th century on a version that included whipped cream and spices of unknown origin. The Italian cappuccino was unknown until the 1930s, and seems to be born out of Viennese-style cafés in Trieste and other cities in the former Austria in the first decades of the 20th Century.