The bicerin from Piedmont is a typical beverage from Piedmont.
The History of Bicerin: A Sip of Turin
The Bicerin (which in Piedmontese means “small glass”) is not just a beverage, it’s a piece of history dating back to the late 1700s and early 1800s.
Its roots lie in a popular 18th-century Turin beverage called “Bavarèisa”. This consisted of a mixture of coffee, chocolate, milk cream, and syrup, served in large round glasses.
The great quality leap and the birth of Bicerin as we know it today is attributed to the Caffè Confetteria Al Bicerin dal 1763, a historic place opposite the Sanctuary of Consolata, still in existence.
Initially, the beverage was served in three variants:
Pur e fiur: The ancestor of the cappuccino (coffee and milk).
Pur e barba: Coffee and hot chocolate.
‘n pòc ‘d tut (“a bit of everything”): Which mixed the three main ingredients: hot chocolate, coffee, and milk cream (or cream).
It was precisely this last variant, ‘n pòc ‘d tut, that became hugely successful and ultimately prevailed, taking the name of Bicerin. The choice to serve it in a small, handle-less glass allowed appreciating the beauty and stratification of the three colors and different densities.
The recipe remains secret today at the namesake café “Al bicerin” where it was first served, located in Turin.
And from there many variants of the Bicerin emerged, some more or less accurate and good, but at the base of this recipe we find coffee, milk cream, and chocolate. It was different in the past, but we are interested in the recipe, right? Discover it immediately after the photo!!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
What You Need to Make the Piedmontese Bicerin
- 4 coffee cups coffee (espresso)
- 1 oz milk
- 7 oz dark chocolate
- 1.8 oz fresh liquid cream
- 2 oz sugar
Tools
- Coffee Maker
- Small Saucepan
How to Prepare the Piedmontese Bicerin
Preparing the Piedmontese Bicerin is very simple. If you melt the chocolate with the right amount of milk, it will be nice and thick, so when you pour the coffee, the ingredients won’t mix.
Alternatively, mix the coffee with the chocolate, and with cream on top, you will have only two layers as it is still served in Turin.
So, prepare the coffee in the moka or your coffee maker.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate with the milk in a double boiler, add sugar and stir.
Whip the cream to a fairly stiff peak.
Pour the hot melted chocolate into 4 glasses, add the coffee, and top with the well-chilled whipped cream and..
Variants
The Piedmontese bicerin should be served without mixing the coffee with the chocolate, letting it blend with the cream once in the mouth. However, many recommend mixing the coffee with the chocolate and then pouring the cream, which will mix with the hot chocolate on the surface, giving two colors and staining the cream. Anyway, two or three layers, it is delicious.
other recipes
If you want to see other types of recipes, you can return to HOME.
Who were the notable figures associated with this beverage
Camillo Benso Count of Cavour: He is said to have been a frequent visitor of Caffè Al Bicerin, to the extent that the beverage is also known as “Bicerin ‘d Cavour.”
Alexandre Dumas (father): The French writer mentioned it in his writings, describing it as “an excellent beverage.”
Pablo Picasso, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Ernest Hemingway: They were also great admirers. Hemingway even included it among the “hundred things in the world worth saving.”
Umberto Eco: He mentioned it in his novel The Prague Cemetery.
