National Cappuccino Day

Today is a day all coffee lovers appreciate, National Cappuccino Day. Start your morning off celebrating cappuccinos at your favorite local coffee spot. For more information about how National Cappuccino Day started please read below.

Cappuccino

Some may ask what is a cappuccino and what makes it so special? A Cappuccino is a classic espresso drink offering frothy, bold deliciousness. Combine espresso with steamed milk, then top it with a thick layer of milk foam. What makes it so special is the warmth and comfort it brings to people, as well as the conversations and memories shared.

History of the Cappuccino

The name “Cappuccino” originally came from the Capuchin Friar. A minor order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, headquartered in Rome, Italy. These friars in the 16th century were well known for their missionary work. Helping the poor and were dedicated to extreme austerity, poverty, and simplicity.

Wearing a brown robe with a pointed hood, it is believed that the name stemmed from a specific person in the order, Marco d’Aviano. According to the Telegraph, when an Ottoman Turk army tried marching into Vienna in 1683, d’Aviano united the outnumbered Christian troops and made them victorious in defending Vienna.

The legend says that after the Turks fled, they left behind Ottoman coffee, and because the Christians found it to be bitter, they sweetened it with milk and honey and named it after the Order of Capuchins.

A different source says that the idea of the cappuccino drink appears to have originated in the 1700’s, in the “Kapuziner” coffee houses in Austria, which contained coffee with cream and sugar and eventually added spices. So no one really knows exactly where the name came from.

However, the cappuccino coffee drink that everyone knows of today was invented in Italy during the 1900’s after the invention of the espresso machine gained popularity. The first record of the modern cappuccino appeared in the 1930’s. Back then, espresso machines were rather bulky and complicated–certainly not something the average person would have at home in their kitchen. So as the coffee culture in Italy developed, it centers around specialty cafes, and baristas who knew how to operate the machines.

After World War II, the espresso machine improved, and so changed the process of making cappuccinos, which now have steamed and frothed cream and thus spread its popularity around the world.

Celebrate The Day

Celebrate the day with a hot or iced Cappuccino at a local coffee shop! Share on social media using the #nationalcappuccinoday and see how many other coffee lovers are celebrating! You might even make a great connection over a cup of coffee!

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Information from Nationadaycalendar and daysoftheyear.