Frappé coffee (also Greek frappé or Café frappé) (Greek: φραπές, frapés) is a foam-covered iced coffee drink made from instant coffee (generally, spray-dried).[1] It is very popular in Greece and Cyprus, especially during the summer, but has now spread to other countries. The frappé became a hallmark of the post-war outdoor Greek coffee culture.
Name
In French, when describing a drink, the word frappé means chilled; and indeed there was an American dish called café frappé, a sort of coffee granita.[2] However, in the name café frappé, frappé is interpreted as 'shaken'.
History
Frappé dates back to the 1957 International Trade Fair in Thessaloniki.[3] The representative of the Nestlé company, Yannis Dritsas, was exhibiting a new product for children, a chocolate beverage produced instantly by mixing it with milk and shaking it in a shaker. Dritsas' employee Dimitris Vakondios was looking for a way to have his usual instant coffee during his break but he could not find any hot water, so he mixed the coffee with cold water and a shaker.
This improvised experiment established this popular Greek beverage. Frappé has been marketed chiefly by Nestlé and is among the most popular drinks in Greece. More recently, Kraft, under the Jacobs label, have launched their own brand of frappé. Frappé has been called the national coffee of Greece,[4] and is available at virtually all cafés. Frappé is often served with a glass of water.
