''Caffè d'orzo'' (,

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

for "

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley p ...

", often shortened to simply orzo) or barley coffee is a type of hot drink, originating in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. Orzo is a

caffeine Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine class. It is mainly used recreationally as a cognitive enhancer, increasing alertness and attentional performance. Caffeine acts by blocking binding of adenosine to ...

-free

roasted grain beverage A cereal coffee (also known as grain coffee, roasted grain drink or roasted grain beverage) is a hot drink made from one or more cereal grains roasted and commercially processed into crystal or powder form to be reconstituted later in hot wat ...

made from ground

(''orzo'' in Italian, from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''hordeum''). It is an

espresso Espresso (, ) is a coffee-brewing method of Italian origin, in which a small amount of nearly boiling water (about ) is forced under of pressure through finely-ground coffee beans. Espresso can be made with a wide variety of coffee beans a ...

-style drink, and when prepared from the roasted barley directly, it can easily be made in typical

espresso machine An espresso machine brews coffee by forcing pressurized water near boiling point through a "puck" of ground coffee and a filter in order to produce a thick, concentrated coffee called espresso. The first machine for making espresso was built in ...

s and coffeemakers. In Italy it is widely available in coffee vending machines. Although traditionally considered a

coffee substitute Coffee substitutes are non-coffee products, usually without caffeine, that are used to imitate coffee. Coffee substitutes can be used for medical, economic and religious reasons, or simply because coffee is not readily available. Roasted grain b ...

for children, it is an increasingly common choice in Italy and other places for those who choose to eschew caffeine for health reasons. In Italy caffè d'orzo is made in traditional Italian espresso machines in cafes. Italian families tend, instead, to make it using an orziera, a special

moka pot The moka pot is a stove-top or electric coffee maker that brews coffee by passing boiling water pressurized by steam through ground coffee. Named after the Yemeni city of Mocha, it was invented by Italian engineer Alfonso Bialetti in 1933 and ...

adapted to barley. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and in post-war times, caffè d'orzo and

chicory Common chicory (''Cichorium intybus'') is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant of the family Asteraceae, usually with bright blue flowers, rarely white or pink. Native to the Old World, it has been introduced to North America and Austra ...

became the most popular drinks in Europe. They were both used as substitutes for coffee, which was expensive and hard to find. In European countries with a very long post-war period, like for instance Spain, this image of barley as a cheap surrogate of coffee still remains in the memory of the population. Thus, from having dozens of Spanish producers in the 1950s and being a widely popular drink in the Spanish Mediterranean coast, now Spain only has two roasters of barley. In Italy, instead, there are dozens of roasters making caffè d'orzo and it is a very popular drink. Outside of Italy the consumption of caffè d'orzo as a healthy drink is also increasing slowly, especially in Germany. A variety called ("coffee of barley") in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

and simply ' in

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

is available in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

n markets, though it is often more of a

roasted barley tea Barley tea is a roasted-grain-based infusion made from barley. It is a staple across many East Asian countries such as China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. It has a toasty, bitter flavor. In Korea, the tea is consumed either hot or cold, often t ...

than a coffee-like beverage. Instant roasted barley drinks are sold under various brand names (although most of them are made with a mix of cereals, not only barley) such as

Caro Caro may refer to: Places * Caro, Michigan, United States * Caro, Morbihan, France * Çaro, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France Other uses * Caro (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Caro (surname), including a list of peo ...

(Europe, New Zealand), Pero (Switzerland, US) and

Barleycup Barleycup is an instant cereal drink, available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Malta and Hong Kong. Barleycup was manufactured by the British company Ridpath Pek Ltd., until it was acquired in 2004 by the American firm S ...

(UK), among others.

References

Barley-based drinks Coffee substitutes {{nonalcoholic-drink-stub it:Bevanda_d'orzo#Caffè d'orzo

See also

References