Marocchino

The marocchino is a small, layered coffee from Piedmont, born in Alessandria. A small glass is dusted with cocoa powder, then filled with an espresso (often a short one) and a cap of milk foam, and finished with another dusting of cocoa. The result looks like a tiny cappuccino in a glass and tastes of strong coffee, cocoa and soft milk.

Bars like to put their own stamp on it. In parts of northern Italy a spoonful of thick hot chocolate goes in the bottom; in Alba, home of Ferrero, it is common to find Nutella. Some bars use whipped cream or a drizzle of chocolate instead of cocoa.

It is popular across northern Italy – especially Piedmont, Lombardy and Liguria – and nearly every bar there has its own version. In southern Italy a similar drink may be called espressino or vetrino.

The marocchino is generally said to have been created in Alessandria, Piedmont. The story usually told is that it was born in the early 20th century at the Caffè Carpano, a bar (no longer open) opposite the main entrance of the Borsalino hat factory, whose workers were regulars. According to a story passed down by the café’s owner, a worker said the drink looked like maruchën – the light-brown leather band used to finish Borsalino hats.

Other accounts agree that the name refers to the colour of light-brown marocchino (Morocco) leather, but link it to leather hair bands fashionable in the 1930s, so the exact date is uncertain. Either way, the name refers to leather, not to Morocco itself. The drink was probably inspired by Turin’s bicerin, and spread from Piedmont to bars across northern Italy.