As winter is coming on fast here in Italy, and we’ve nearly exhausted the Italian coffee topic (although we could discuss this for ages - not only drinking coffee but talking about it, is a national passtime in Italy), I thought we’d take a quick look at hot chocolate.

I will admit that when it comes to hot chocolate in Italy, I’ll have it anytime, anywhere and with anything. The Italians know how to make rich, thick and creamy hot chocolate. A watered-down English version just doesn’t come close.

Hot chocolate in Italy involves milk and sachets of chocolate powder - a barista will generally use a whole packet and won’t limit himself to just a sprinkle. It often helps to stir in the powder first. Note that heating the milk comes after the powder is added - Italian hot chocolate doesn’t dissolve the powder in already hot milk.

The trick is to steam the milk in such a way that it becomes boiling hot. You will notice that the chocolate starts to amalgamate through the milk which will become creamier and thicker the more you steam. Hot chocolate in Italy can range between so thick that it seems the barista put a block of chocolate in the microwave and you need to eat it with a spoon, or a lovely creamy mixture with a real milk chocolate colour. The hot chocolate can be served with or without whipped cream on top.

This is the perfect drink when you come in from skiing the Italian alps, or on a Sunday afternoon with some Italian pastries. I guarantee that if you have a decent milk steamer at home, you can do this yourself and enjoy hot chocolate from Italy in your own kitchen.

Photo | Flickr

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