Invented in 18th century, bicerin is a specialty of Turin
It’s a unique drink in that you eat it. It’s bicerin (bich to rhyme with rich, and reen) and was invented in 18th-century Turin, which was once the centre for the production of Fiat cars. Torino means Little Bull, and Turin has always been bullish on innovation, be it cars or comestibles.
Bicerin means ‘small glass’ and was made in its first avatar in 1763, a drink made of coffee, chocolate, milk, and syrup, called bavareisa.
Giuseppe Dentis founded a café fronting the Sanctuario della Consolata, one of the loveliest of Turin’s many beautiful churches and an important pilgrimage centre.
Originally, Giuseppe’s customers were served the ingredients separately and did their own mixing on a DIY basis. Subsequently, as a labour-saving variant, the Caffé offered a ready-mixed concoction in which espresso, thick hot chocolate, and frothy cream were served in a small glass called a bicerin, and Bicerin was officially launched as a brand name that also became the name of Giuseppe’s café.
Bicerin, which soon became the talk of the town, was served in a glass without a handle because the glutinous mixture was so densely textured that it was best spooned out and eaten layer by layer, in a culinary version of a geological excavation.
Among the many notable patrons of Caffé Bicerin was Camillo Paolo Filippo Giulio Benso, Count of Cavour, who for the sake of brevity was often shortened to Cavour, the 19th-century Turin-born national hero, one of the architects of united Italy, and its first prime minister.
It’s remarkable that Cavour managed to unify Italy and pursue an illustrious political career, considering he seems to have spent most of his time enjoying bicerin in the myriad Caffé al Bicerin clones that mushroomed all over Turin, many claiming the patronage of the great patriot.
You don’t have to go to a Cavour-endorsed café to sample a bicerin. You can make your own. In a small clear glass, put a double shot of espresso, pour the melted chocolate onto the hot coffee, top with chilled whipped cream. Enjoy your edible drink, spoon by spoon. Buon appetito.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
