Learning How To Make Affogato At Home Is A Special Treat

The combination of a delicious Italian espresso coffee and a high quality gelato make for a special treat for those who want to make affogato at home.

Affogato is an amazing treat that celebrates my two favorite things in Italy, espresso coffee and gelato. Luckily, you don’t need to be in Italy to enjoy this, but you will be happier if you are. If you aren’t familiar with Affogato, hopefully after you read this you will run out and get all the ingredients and enjoy it for breakfast, lunch or dessert.

What Is An Affogato Made Of?

The most traditional and classic Affogato recipe is made with only two ingredients, espresso coffee and vanilla gelato. There are some variations or additions that you can try, but for the classic version, let’s start with the most simple.

The key is to get the highest quality ingredients that you can find, which includes the best Italian coffee, brewing it on a stove-top espresso maker and the highest quality Italian gelato that you can find at your local grocery store.

What Ice Cream Is Good For Affogato?

The best ice cream to use is, of course, Italian gelato. If you are in Italy then you have an almost unlimited choice of gelaterias, but if you are in the US, you will need to find some high quality gelato at a specialty store, like Eataly’s Gelato counter.

Once you have tried the classic vanilla gelato, or a difficult to find Fior di Latte, and understand how it is supposed to taste, you can certainly try some other, non-traditional, gelato choices, like: Chocolate, Mint Chip or even a Strawberry gelato. I would stay away from a coffee flavored gelato because it is redundant and you will lose the taste of the high quality espresso that you are brewing for this.

How Do Italians Eat Affogato?

You would typically enjoy Affogato as a dessert, after either lunch or dinner. That being said, I can tell you that having it for breakfast will get you the caffeine that you might need for the day, as well as being naughty and having a luxurious ice cream for breakfast.

Are You Supposed To Eat Or Drink An Affogato?

This will depend on a few things, like: how hot is it, how slow of an eater are you and how fancy of a restaurant are you eating in? I’m being a bit flippant, but really you can enjoy it any way you would like, but keep in mind that Affogato melts quickly because of the scalding hot espresso.

You can enjoy it starting with a spoon and enjoying a bite of the gelato and espresso combination, but when you get near the end, it will be a soup that you can enjoy with a straw, or drink it from the cup it could be served in.

How Do You Pronounce The Word: Affogato?

As far as Italian words go, Affogato, which literally translates to drowned, is one of the easier to pronounce. Affogato is a 4 syllable word that can be pronounced like: A-FOE-GAH-TOW, with a stress on the third syllable. According to the International Phonetic Alphabet, the pronunciation is: /ˌɑːfəˈɡɑːtəʊ/

Are There Optional Ingredients For Affogato?

You have a few options for ingredients you can add to a classic Affogato. These include liqueurs that I will get more into down below, but you can also add chopped nuts (hazelnuts, pistachio or peanuts), dark chocolate shavings, crushed peppermint candy and I’ve even seen crushed up ice cream cones added for texture. The only thing I wouldn’t add is anything with a coffee flavor, like Kahlua or Tia Maria.

Does Affogato Have Liqueur Options

You can add liqueur to Affogato and the opportunities are endless. You can go an easier route of adding Amaretto, Creme de Menthe or even Guinness stout. If you want to head in a stronger direction, you can certainly try adding a Rum, Whiskey or a Brandy. This is drifting pretty far from the classic Affogato recipe, but the choice is yours.

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