Caffe Con Panna

The Espresso Break:  The great Neapolitan impresario, Domenico Barbaja, started out as a simple waiter in Milan.  He went on to build an empire of cafes in northern Italy that often became fronts for his gambling parlors.  His money brought him to Naples where in 1809 he became the director of the internationally renown Teatro San Carlo.  He brought opera singer Isabella Colbran to the theater as well as Giachino Rossini (Barber of Seville).  Domenico lived in a Palazzo along Via Toledo, today only a few steps from the Galleria Umberto:

Folklore has it that Barbaja made his first big windfall of money through the creation of a signature beverage called the Barbajata.  Today, the Teatro San Carlo only serves espresso and capuccino.  Throughout Naples, as far as I can find, nobody has ever heard of the Barbajata.  The drink, however, still survives.  Some claim that Barbaja invented the cappuccino.  I think this is far fetched.  More likely the beverage still survives in a modern day form called the Caffe con Panna or Coffee with Whipping Cream.


Simple and elegant, I made this one at home (see picture above).  Tribute to Barbaja can also be found at the Teatro San Carlo where his bust stands inside an intermission hall:

(A Note about the Espresso Machine:  I made the above beverage using my Saeco Via Veneto machine.  The espresso machine was invented only in the early 1900's.  The machines were created by Northern Italians.  More than 75% of caffe in Naples is still drunk at home, usually made heating up a Moka on the stovetop.  Today, Bosco is the company that makes vintage espresso machines in Naples for use in cafe-bars.)