A black coffee softened by an equal amount of hot frothy milk, topped with a crown of foam — milder than espresso, perfect for lingering and discussing for hours.

Why this dish? The Viennese Kaffeehaus and its Berlin equivalent were the places where the young generation of physicists — including Meitner in Berlin — discussed new ideas over a cup. The Melange, a mild coffee topped with milk foam, is the emblem of this Central European intellectual culture where she forged her thinking.

Coffee, you see, was the true laboratory of our ideas. In Vienna as in Berlin, it was seated before a Melange — that coffee softened with as much frothy milk — that we young physicists remade the world of the atom for hours. We were never chased away: a single cup entitled you to your table, your newspaper, and your silence. I discussed many problems there that later would matter. Take it unhurriedly; rushed coffee does not think.

How it was made : In Viennese Kaffeehäuser, each coffee was — and still is — served with a glass of water, a sign that one could stay as long as one wished. These coffeehouses were true public salons where scholars, artists, and students worked at their regular tables. The Melange, milder than black coffee, encouraged lingering.

The contemporary twist : Serve it in a porcelain cup on a small metal saucer with the obligatory glass of water: the complete Kaffeehaus experience, without leaving home.

Sources : Viennese Kaffeehaus tradition (UNESCO intangible cultural heritage)

Lise Meitner · Charactorium