Wiener Melange (Viennese coffee with frothy milk)
A black coffee softened with hot milk and topped with a creamy milk foam, sometimes a cloud of cream. The ritual drink of long Viennese conversations.
A black coffee softened with hot milk and topped with a creamy milk foam, sometimes a cloud of cream. The ritual drink of long Viennese conversations.
Grant me a cup and time to think. The Melange, you see, is not a beverage to be gulped: it is a pretext to remain seated for hours, the newspaper unfolded, debating the value of things. The waiter always brings it on a small silver tray, with its glass of fresh water. Black coffee, as much hot milk, a light foam on top — and there you have, believe me, the best study in all of learned Vienna.
- •Freshly ground coffee — for a strong cup (base)
- •Milk — as much as coffee (softener)
- •Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
Wiener Melange (Viennese coffee with frothy milk)
A black coffee softened with hot milk and topped with a creamy milk foam, sometimes a cloud of cream. The ritual drink of long Viennese conversations.
Why this dish? Viennese coffee was the lifeblood of Menger's intellectual life. It was in the great cafés of Vienna, newspapers and cups within reach, that economic ideas were discussed and his school took shape between two Melanges.
Grant me a cup and time to think. The Melange, you see, is not a beverage to be gulped: it is a pretext to remain seated for hours, the newspaper unfolded, debating the value of things. The waiter always brings it on a small silver tray, with its glass of fresh water. Black coffee, as much hot milk, a light foam on top — and there you have, believe me, the best study in all of learned Vienna.
Ingredients (period version)
- Freshly ground coffee — for a strong cup (base)
- Milk — as much as coffee (softener)
- Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
Ingredients
- Coffee (espresso or strong filter coffee) — 120 ml (base)
- Whole milk — 120 ml (softener)
- Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
Method
- Prepare a strong black coffee and pour it into a large cup.
- Heat the milk without boiling, then froth it (with a whisk, frother, or steam wand).
- Pour the hot milk into the coffee in equal parts.
- Top with a spoonful of milk foam; sweeten to taste.
- Serve with a glass of fresh water, as in a café.
How it was made : Coffee arrived in Vienna after the Ottoman siege of 1683, and the city turned it into an art of living. In the 19th century, the Kaffeehaus was the office, club, and library of the intellectual bourgeoisie: one stayed for hours, the newspaper included in the price of the cup.
The contemporary twist : Dust the foam with a veil of cocoa — a knowing wink from today, unthinkable on the original table, but pretty in the photo.
Carl Menger · Charactorium
