This Greek invention should not be confused with the Frappuccino.
The frappe was invented in September 1957 in Thessaloniki through experimentation by Dimitris Vakondios, a Nescafé Nestlé Hellas representative, who made an important discovery.
Vakondios wanted his regular Nescafé Classic, but he could not find any hot water, so he mixed the coffee with cold water in a shaker and shook it vigorously.
Not accounting for the burst of foam this action would generate, Vakondios achieved two results: Staining his business suit and the invention of the foamy concoction that would become something that became the identity of a soft drink in Greece.
Completely by accident, the Frappe was born. Frappe achieved its official name and became the national coffee beverage of modern Greece in around 1979.
Frappes are among the most popular forms of coffee in Greece and Cyprus and have become a hallmark of postwar outdoor Greek coffee culture, especially during the hot summer months, but have spread to other countries around the world.
Greek Frappe has been symbolically and visually connected to the easygoing and careless summertime for Greeks.
And a last detail: a real Greek would never toast with coffee. So, … keep your favourite Στην υγειά μας or Γεια μας (Cheers) for your evening drink.
The ingredients are simple: instant coffee and water, sugar, milk, ice and straw to enjoy these freshening sips.
The article first appeared on Writing About Greece.
READ MORE: Amygdalota – Greek-style chewy almond biscuits.