Frappe: The History of Coffee That Greeks Are Obsessed With – Greek Reporter

The frappe is a lifestyle for Greek people. Credit: Robert Gourley, CC BY 2.0

Frothy, cold, and full of caffeine, nearly everyoneGreeks and non-Greeks alikeloves the classic Greek coffee drink Frappe.

Frappe coffee, or Greek frape, is a foam-covered iced coffee drink made from instant coffee, sugar, ice cubes and water. Occasionally, people add milk to the drink.

It is very popular in Greece and Cyprus, especially during the hot summer months, but has spread to other countries around the world, and especially wherever Greeks are present.

The Greek frappe became a symbol of the post-war outdoor Greek coffee culture. Although the freddo espresso, another Greek invention, has become very popular, the frappe, to this date, remains the most popular coffee beverage among the Greeks.

But what is the history of the frappe and how it came to be? After contacting Yiannis Michalopoulos, Senior Brand Manager at Nescaf of Nestl Hellas, the widely known story of the frappe being invented by accident at the 1957 Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) was confirmed.

Dimitris Vakondios, an employee of the Nestl company, invented the delicious coffee drink at the TIF. Nestl was introducing a new chocolate beverage for children that was produced instantly in a shaker.

During a break, Vakondios wanted to have his regular Nescaf Classic but he could not find any hot water, so he mixed the coffee with cold water in a shaker, and the Frappe was born.

Frappe took over its official name and became the national coffee beverage of modern Greece around 1979. Although the word frappe originates from the French word meaning shaken or stirred, the Greek invention has nothing in common with the French chilled beverage produced in a shaker, which contains milk or fruit juice instead of coffee.

Greek frappe is available in three degrees of sweetness, determined by the amount of sugar used. These are: glyks (sweet two teaspoons of coffee and four teaspoons of sugar);mtrios(medium two teaspoons of coffee and two teaspoons of sugar); andsktos(plain two teaspoons of coffee and no sugar).

All varieties of the drink may be served with or without milk. Sometimes, frappe is served without any water (besides the water used in the foam) and milk is used instead. This variation is most commonly found in Cyprus. Different kinds of liquors are sometimes used for additional variation, as well as chocolate milk or a ball of vanilla ice instead of milk.

The preparation recipe is quite easy. The coffee can be made either with a cocktail shaker or an appropriate mixer (e.g. a hand mixer). One or two teaspoons of coffee, sugar to taste and a little water are blended to form a brownish foam, which is poured into a tall glass. To this, add cold water and ice cubes, and, optional, milk typically evaporated milk. The glass is served with a straw.

Nescaf Frappe has been exported to many European countries, including the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Bulgaria, the USA and Australia.

Ever since its first commercial launch in 1979, Greek Frappe has been symbolically and visually connected to the easy-going and careless summertime for Greeks.

This iconic connection and the frappes unique ability to maintain its quality longer through the heat than any other beverage, has resulted in the myth of the frapp being a symbol of a lazy day on the beach during the iconic Greek summertime.

However, Michalopoulos explained that extensive research has shown that the two key reasons why someone chooses to drink frapp are stimulation and social sharing, not laziness.

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Frappe: The History of Coffee That Greeks Are Obsessed With - Greek Reporter