The Greek Frappé

The frappé (φραπές) is a drink I had never heard of until my first visit to Greece in 2000. A frappé is instant coffee (Nescafé) blended to a foam with a small bit of water. Then more cold water is added to fill the glass.

Like regular Greek coffee, the frappé can be ordered in varying degrees of sweetness:

• Sweet: glykós (γλυκός)
• Medium: métrios (μέτριος)
• Plain: skétos (σκέτος)

A frappé tastes exactly what it sounds like: foamy instant coffee with cold water and a couple of ice cubes added to it. When they ask if you would like sugar and milk in it, say “yes,” and it will taste better.

The foam on the top thickens up after a few minutes. Wikipedia has an in-depth analysis of frappé bubbles that explains why the frappé foam thickens differently from regular coffee.

Basically, the spray-dried instant coffee has little oil compared to regular coffee. The low amount of oils, combined with the sugar, makes a thicker foam that doesn’t easily collapse. The thick foam will still be there 30 minutes later.

Have you tried frappés in Greece? What did you think?