The Bicerin
THE BICERIN
Hernest Hemingway listed him among the 100 things in the world that he would save.
The ancestor of Bicerin is Bavareisa, an eighteenth-century drink served in large glasses. The ingredients were three: coffee, chocolate and milk cream sweetened with syrup.
In ancient times the ingredients were served separately as they gave rise to three different possible combinations, called in the Piedmontese language:
"pur e fior" (similar to the current cappuccino)
"pur e barba" (coffee and chocolate)
"un poch ad tut" (a bit of everything)
The last choice was the most successful one and which is still served in the premises of Turin.
In 1843 a man named Calosso contradaiolo della Dora Grossa (the current Via Garibaldi), obviously in Turin, had the idea of applying a handle to each smaller size glass, which was then used for the drink and from here the term "Bicerin".
The first traces relating to Bicerin date back to the last years of the 19th century.
Among the known admirers, besides Hemingway, there were Picasso, Alexander Dumas, Umberto Eco and above all the Count Camillo Benso.
Go to the shop in via Milano to taste for yourself one of the best Bicerin in Turin, made with the authentic Piedmontese recipe.