Naples (AFP).- Italian espresso coffee is, in addition to a tasty sip of caffeine, a social and cultural rite in Italy, where it is considered a national treasure, worthy of becoming a UNESCO intangible heritage.
Italians drink about thirty million coffees espresso a day, from north to south, from Venice to Sicily, in porcelain cups or glasses, with or without a drop of milk, but for all it is a gesture of coexistence.
“Go drink a espresso It’s an excuse to tell a friend that you care about him.”explained to the AFP Massimiliano Rosati, owner of the old and prestigious Café Gambrinus in Naples, who participated in the campaign for the famous drink to enter the UNESCO list of intangible heritage of humanity.
“We drink it every day, at any time. It is a moment to share, a magical moment”, she enthuses.
The gleaming machine enthroned behind the marble counter hisses and shakes as the “bar” attendant pours freshly ground coffee into a container which he inserts into the machine before flipping a switch that runs near-scalding water over the scented powder.
intense scent
A good espresso It is characterized by its rapid preparation at high pressure and by a concentrated flavor and texture.in about 25 milliliters.
The “aroma must be intense and rich, floral and fruity, also chocolaty and roasted,” according to the Italian Espresso Institute, founded in 1998, who set the standards that govern its production.
“In the mouth, the espresso it must be full-bodied and velvety, with a fair dose of bitterness”he specifies, without forgetting that the surface must be like “a cream (…) hazelnut in color with a tendency to black, characterized by reddish-brown tones”.
The request to be included as a world heritage site was sent by the Ministry of Agriculture to the National Commission for UNESCO in Italy, which must submit it before March 31 to the headquarters of the UN agency in Paris.
Many Italian traditions have been recognized by UNESCO, from truffle harvesting and the art of Neapolitan pizza to the Mediterranean diet and violin making in Cremona.
drink a espresso “it is a rite, somehow sacred”confirms Annamaria Conte, a 70-year-old retired teacher and a regular at the Gambrinus, located in the heart of Naples, opposite the famous San Carlo lyrical theater and a few steps from the seafront.
Some consumers love to accompany their coffee with mini-pizzas or fried dough balls soaked in sugar, while chatting with their neighbors.
“When I go outside, I see people lining up to buy their coffee, standing one behind the other, sometimes checking mobile phones, sitting in a corner with a book. That’s not how it is here”, emphasizes Massimiliano Rosati.
against loneliness
“Here, in certain neighborhoods of Naples, there is still a custom: when you visit someone, you don’t bring them a cake or flowers, but sugar and coffee”, bill.
The first espresso machine was invented in 1884 by Angelo Moriondo, a Turinese, but it was a Milanese, Desiderio Pavoni, who achieved its mass production.
The espresso very quickly became a popular drink throughout the country, with slight nuances depending on the region: with more or less water, more or less corpulent, accompanied by a glass of sparkling water.
At Café Sant’Eustachio, a true institution in Rome, not far from the Pantheon, Yael Lesin-Davis, a 28-year-old tourist of British origin, enjoys a morettoa espresso covered with milk foam and cocoa: “I have many childhood memories associated with this place, where I came to drink coffee. It’s really good!” he confesses.
For the owner of the well-known coffee shop, Raimondo Ricci, a little espresso has the power to drive away lonelinesseven when drinking alone.
“Sometimes, when we prepare coffee at home, the coffee maker becomes a company, it fills the room, the house”, with an aroma that brings back “good memories” for many people.
Source: Eluniverso
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