L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano I t's true, coffee came to Italy through Ve- nice, where it was first brewed and where the first cafés were created. But there isn't a place synonym with coffee culture all'Italiana as much as Napoli. Coffee came here in the 18th century, when it was introduced to the royal court by Maria Carolina Ha- psburg-Lorraine, wife of king Ferdinand Bourbon. For Neapolitans, coffee is a way of life: it has rules, it i s a r i t u a l , m o r e t h a n e v e r y w h e r e e l s e i n t h e country, and it isn't a case that the best coffee beans and coffee blends in Italy come from there. Some of t h e c i t y ' s c o f f e e - r e l a t e d habits, such as the iconic "caffé sospeso," paying an extra coffee when you get yours so that someone who can't afford it can have it, became a thing everywhere in the country. Naples and coffee, a pairing popular e v e n i n o u r t r a d i t i o n a l m u s i c , a s s y m b o l i z e d b y Domenico Modugno who sang, in 1958, "Ah, che bellu cafè, sulo a Napule 'o sanno fa e nisciuno se spiega per- ché è na vera specialità," "ah, coffee! Only in Naples people know how to do it, and no one knows why it's a real delicacy!" M a n y s a y t h a t Neapolitan coffee is really special because of the city's water, while others think it all comes down to the fact beans are roasted differen- t l y , p r o d u c i n g a d a r k e r r o a s t t h a n t h a t u s e d everywhere else. C o f f e e i s a l s o p a r t o f Naples' folklore, of course, of its traditions, of its kit- chens, because it's difficult t o t h i n k a b o u t a N e a p o l i t a n h o m e w i t h o u t a m o k a o n t h e stove and the aroma of the p e r f e c t b r e w s p r e a d i n g t h r o u g h i t s r o o m s . However, if we want to be h i s t o r i c a l l y p r e c i s e , w e shouldn't call it moka, here, but cuccumella: the histo- ric coffee maker that chan- ged the way the city — and t h e w o r l d — m a d e t h e i r kava. T h e c u c c u m e l l a w a s introduced in Naples about 1 0 0 y e a r s a f t e r c o f f e e a p p e a r e d i n t h e c i t y . I t wasn't invented there, but in France where, in 1819, a man named Morize produ- c e d t h e f i r s t m o d e l . However, the cuccumella was to find popularity in N a p l e s , w h e r e i t w a s f u r t h e r d e v e l o p e d a n d w h e r e i t s o o n b e c a m e a popular household object: Neapolitan loved to make their coffee at home. Poetic cuccumella gets its name from the word cuc- cuma, used to indicate a terracotta or a copper con- t a i n e r , t h e m a t e r i a l s t h e first ones were made of, and it comprises of five parts t h a t f i t i n t o o n e a n o t h e r perfectly. Water is poured into one part, which has a hole to allow steam out, and t h a t i s t h e n f i t t e d i n t o another, where the coffee is placed: this section of the c u c c u m e l l a i s o p e n e d o n o n e s i d e t o l e t t h e w a t e r through. Once it is filled with coffee, a filter is added a n d t h e n , l a s t l y , t h e t o p p a r t o f t h e c a f f e t t i e r a , where the brew rises when it's ready. This section also has a beccuccio to pour the coffee into the cup. Making coffee with a cuc- cumella is not as straight forward as it may seem. To begin with, you must make sure that the handles of its two main parts are aligned and you may be surprised t o k n o w t h a t , w h i l e t h e water boils, the part from w h e r e t h e c o f f e e w i l l b e p o u r e d i n t o y o u r c u p i s a c t u a l l y b e l o w t h e o n e where the ground coffee is. When the water begins to boil, steam will come out of the water-containing part of the caffettiera; at this point, the cuccumella is grabbed b y i t s t w o h a n d l e s a n d q u i c k l y t u r n e d u p s i d e down, so that the water — now is coffee! — reaches the section with the beccuccio a n d c a n b e p o u r e d . However, it can take up to ten minutes for the liquid to d r i p d o w n , s o h a v i n g a quick coffee at home made with a cuccumella isn't real- ly something feasible. As revolutionary as cuc- c u m e l l a w a s f o r c o f f e e l o v e r s , i t w a s s o o n t o b e s u b s t i t u t e d b y a n o t h e r invention, destined to find a way longer-lasting place i n o u r k i t c h e n s , t h e B i a l e t t i m o k a . W h a t m a d e t h e d i f f e r e n c e ? I t s simplicity. Indeed, making coffee with a cuccumella r e q u i r e s a l o n g e r t i m e , because there are more pie- c e s t o p u t t o g e t h e r a n d because the brewing pro- cess is lengthier. Perhaps, the most time-consuming part of the procedure is the coffee's percolation which, we said, takes alone at least 10 minutes.This is because a cuccumella brew is made exploiting gravity, letting the water drip through the coffee, while in a moka it is made thanks to pressure, that "pushes" water up and t h r o u g h i t , w h i c h m e a n s caffé is ready quicker. Yes, cuccumella may be a t h i n g o f t h e p a s t , b u t i t remains a beloved icon of caffé alla Napoletana. And i f y o u a s k N e a p o l i t a n s , n o t h i n g c o m p a r e s t o t h e taste and fragrance of a cuc- cumella-made brew. CHIARA D'ALESSIO A cuccumella. Note its beak, which is upside down and is turned up only when serving the coffee (Photo: Diego Matteeo Muzzini/Dreamstime) HERITAGE HISTORY IDENTITY TRADITIONS Don't call it moka, in Naples: it's a cuccumella!

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