Why Italians Don't Drink a Cappuccino After 11am

There's nothing wrong with being a lactose malabsorber btw - in case anyone gets mad that I'm somehow criticising Italians for this. I'm one too!

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[horstomat]

My guess, for the "no cappu after 11 am" rule, is the same as the reason for only getting white sausage until noon in bavaria: cooling. In the times before refrigerators were invented, you had to use up such things as raw veal sausage or milk, that were delivered in the morning by delivery vehicles cooled with ice blocks, while they were fresh.

[AlsRides]

Thought I'd be learning about Italian culture, ended up learning about lactose instead! You explained it very well James!

[monisharmuk]

He is so organized in his thoughts. It's a treat just listening to him.

[JoburgGooner]

One of my best friends growing up was Italian and from how he explained it to me it has more to do with Italians view on food. Italians view a cappucino as a meal. Having a cappucino only for breakfast isn’t abnormal. They also just don’t eat anything substantial for breakfast compared to other cultures I’ve found. If you are asking for a cappucino later in the day they could get confused because you are ruining your appetite for lunch and dinner, the most important meals of the day. So have espresso later in the day if you need coffee but don’t you dare add milk because that will ruin your appetite for the later meals. Also asking for a cappucino after a meal is an insult because that implys that whoever fed you didn’t do a good enough job because you are still hungry if you can drink a cappucino after a meal, again because they consider a cappucino as a meal supplement.

That’s how he explained it to me but this could just as easily be an urban myth!

[MicheleAngeliniTenor]

Others seem to have said it as well, but my understanding is rather simple: the milk is filling and slower to digest. Because Italians have rather small and sugary breakfasts: Cappuccino e cornetto (croissant) or brioche (basically, any kind of sweet pastry), it's for the sole purpose of getting on your feet. For example, an old-world farmer's breakfast was known as "zabaione, " but NOT the dessert cream confection that we normally now associate with that word. It was literally a raw egg yolk, sugar, and espresso mixed into a paste and drunk like a shot before going out to the fields. It's absolutely delicious, and the dessert is a re-imagining of it. The point of Italian colazione is to get the boost of sugar and caffeine to be able to be alert in the morning...the slow burn of carbs and the heaviness of the milk helps keep you full until lunch. But then, the issue is that during pranzo (lunch) or cena (dinner), you are filling up on food. Whether it's pasta, fish, meat, vegetable, usually Italians at home after a meal will have a piece of fruit and espresso.

They culturally forbid the application of a large amount of milk (of course, caffè macchiato is always an option at any hour) in part because the idea is that you won't be able to digest the meal properly because it is so filling, the milk will spoil the taste of whatever else was eaten during the meal, and it ruins the pleasure of enjoying the coffee itself. This is a huge part of Itailan coffee cullture: the taste of the espresso is utmost, and adding sugar or milk in any capacity alters that, and so while exception is made for the morning, it is expected that if you are taking coffee (also note, the word used in Italian is always "prendere, " to take, and never "bere, " to drink, a coffee) you are doing so also to enjoy that specific flavor, even if it has to be slightly sweetened or lightened via the application of sugar or milk.

As someone who is lactose intolerant as far as milk is concerned, though perfectly capable of eating dairy foods, I always get into arguments in Italy because naturally I request things like almond milk for my coffee, and I usually prefer a long drink versus a quick shot. However, in Italy, I always follow the rules, especially after a particularly funny scene I inadvertently caused some years back in Florence after an exquisite meal when I just barely asked for a cappuccino with soy milk during dessert. The entire restaurant froze...it was like a scene in a movie! My friends and colleagues were embarrassed and thus I avoid asking for any sort of milk-based, even nut-milk-based, coffee drinks after 12 noon.

One last bit, what you say about butter vs oil is very true, however, don't forget that in Southern Italy is where we make the best soft cheeses: mozzarella, scamorza, and many others. I'm not so certain that lactose malabsorption, though decidedly interesting and quite likely involved, is the main culprit.

Thanks for the great videos!

[MrSammotube]

I used to live in Italy. The rule was actually for no milky drinks after 10:30am. Also, drinking espresso after a heavy meal would help digestion. I found this to be true in practice.

[equiping]

No amount of diarrhea will stop me from drinking cappuccinos

[josephstephen]

Started following James about a year ago. As a registered dietitian, I’m extremely impressed with his scientific approach and frequent references to scientific literature. Top notch content, James!

[morpheu]

Italian here, and no-one is going to stop me from having cappuccino and a pastry at 4-5pm.

[georgehallo]

"I'm grateful to Italy for keeping a reasonable size"
American Starbucks: "GETCHU A 20 OZ SUGARMILK COWBOY!"

[Psychoh]

Hi James, from a fellow Italian and a molecular biologist who really appreciated you talking about malabsorption instead of intolerance. Big heart for you.

Anyway, the reason why most of Italians drink cappuccino only before 12am (not 11), it is just related to its heaviness. Drinking a cappuccino an hour before lunch or close to "aperitivo" before lunch its just difficult to take. Which is not related to lactose malabsorption - can you imagine an Italian who doesn't eat ice cream in the afternoon or after dinner? CRAZY ahahaha. We are weird people who love to keep it simple, that's our style. 

Same for espresso shots. When we order a single cup of espresso it is implicit for what I call normal shot with 7 gr of coffee. There is no double or even triple shots of espresso for a single cup, it is just too much. 
Same for food, simple cooking (even if for foreigners it doesn't look simple, it really is) simple and fresh ingredients only. 

Our cappuccino is 100-125 ml of milk and a normal shot of espresso. Nothing to compare, FORTUNATELY, with those huge cup Americans use to prepare now. Triple shot and 2 300 ml of milk. It will kill me, and I am a coffee and cappuccino lover.

[mastergee]

I'm Italian, have been living here since I was born. There really is no good reason why we typically only drink cappuccino in the morning, it's just a cultural thing. We tend to associate breakfast with sweetness, the most popular and "quintessential" Italian breakfast is cappuccino and a croissant/brioche, so we are naturally inclined to think of cappuccino as something you drink in the morning. But then again it's lot like the bartender is gonna deny you a cappuccino at 4pm. They might think it's a little weird but nothing more

[GeorgeSPAMTindle]

I worked for a company which was part of The Fiat Group, and have worked with many Italians. One Italian work colleague explained to me that the coffee bars, and other shops too, had to pay a considerably higher unit price for electricity in the afternoon than they paid in the morning, and as the steamer for frothing the milk for a cappuccino uses a lot of electricity they often refused to serve cappuccinos in the afternoon. The price of electricity fluctuates with demand, and the air-conditioning units have to work harder when the midday sun is out and for a few hours afterwards, and that is why the demand goes up at those times. That was all explained to me in a rather animated manner after I had suggested that the habit of no cappuccinos after midday might have something to do with the amount of flying insects which seem to wake up at midday and then head for the nearest milky drink available. Apparently cigarettes are the best way of keeping insects away from you, I must have smoked the wrong brand though because I would get lots of bites on summer evenings in Turin.

[ianterada]

James when are you going to start reading audiobooks. We need your calming voice in these trying times.

[janinemashny]

Also, Italians eat gelato as a mid-afternoon snack or after dinner while walking around. Has milk just like a cap.

[madmaxsiena]

As an Italian I was prepared to argue, but this actually makes a lot of sense and lines up with geographical and genetic differences. I think it’s a very rational explanation. Someone definitely did his homework.

[demoniack]

Italian here, the "no cappuccino in the afternoon" thing isn't really taken as seriously as most people make it out to be. At least here in the north, might be more felt in the south.
Just don't order a cappuccino along with a pizza or we'll make fun of you forever.
Looking at you, German tourists!

[itchykami]

Italians "No cuppachino after 11. It's too heavy"
Italian American restaurants: "Here's your 1 lb of pasta noodles drowned in alfredo. Would you like espresso after your 4 glasses of red wine?"

[raminismic]

could be part of tradition going back when refrigeration was not available and raw milk can only be served fresh in the morning

[theirish]

I like the scientific approach, and the hypothesis is very intriguing. However, as an Italian, non-lactose intolerant (pretty much the opposite) my very own explanation is somewhat different, while related to digestion.
Breakfast in Italy is generally light and sweet (if any food is eaten at all), so cappuccino can be perfectly suitable. During the rest of the day, however, Italians tend to consume coffee on two different occasions: right after a meal, and during a break at work.
Now, espresso is more suitable right after a meal and we all share this experience: bitterness helps better digestion.
During coffee breaks you may see Italians drinking cappuccino anyway, but for what concerns me, since I needed "a break", the kick of the espresso is a requirement.