[FOOD and WAR] ① Origin of ‘Americano’ The end of World War 2 , the beginning of COFFEE BREAK!

 

 [FOOD and WAR] Origin of ‘Americano’  The end of World War 2 , the beginning of COFFEE BREAK!

 

Caffe Americano is a style of coffee prepared by adding hot water to espresso. The term of “Americano” can be traced back to 20th century. There is a hidden history of Caffe Americano, which is related to the world famous battle wars.

 

 

 

Not surprisingly, U.S. soldiers were not accustomed to espresso. What happened to the name of coffee was when they were in Italy. Italian soldiers saw U.S. soldiers drinking espresso watered it down. This diluted espresso with hot water, not original anymore, came to be a laughing stock for Italians. Italian started to make fun of U.S. soldiers’ coffee style. That is why the 'custom-made coffee' U.S. soldiers had, somewhat creative, was named literally “Americano.”

 

 

 

 

<Poster showing soldiers enjoying pie, doughnuts, and coffee. Date Created/Published: 1917>

 

 

When the Civil War broke out in the U.S., coffee had played a key role to the soldiers: it made them to be alert and show camaraderie. In The Pivotal Battle of the Civil War written by Civil War Captain Robert K. Beecham, he says, “The power of the soldiers to endure the fatigue of the march and keep their places in the ranks was greatly enhanced by an opportunity to brew a cup of coffee by the wayside.

 

 

 

U.S. military spread coffee all over the states. Field soldiers receive an “Each Meal Ready to Eat” pack, which contains an entrée, a snack, a dessert and small item. President Andrew Jackson designated that coffee and sugar should be added to field ration in 1832. Before that, the rum was served instead of coffee, but some groups argued that side effects of alcohol (Rum) were quite serious. Accepting their argument, U.S. military felt a need of alternative drink. President Andrew Jackson expressed the objection of parliament, and then U.S. military started to enjoy their coffee.

 

 

 

Now coffee lovers are all over the world and many people are addicted to it. People drink coffee to relieve mental and physical fatigue while increasing alertness. It can be also used as treatment of headache, low blood pressure, obesity, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. Most of all, coffee continued to play a role in the military through wars and training. It’s ALL THAT WARS, AND ALL THAT COFFEE.