The Art Of The Affogato

Combining espresso and gelato creates a delicious new way to enjoy coffee, with the possibility of almost endless variation. Our resident food expert Safia Shakarchi showcases three affogatos from some of our favourite London cafés

- Safia Shakarchi

The affogato encapsulates the Italian art of simplicity. Like a flavourful pomodoro pasta or a woodfired margherita pizza, there isn’t much to it – and yet it is so much more than the sum of its ingredients. Literally meaning “drowned” in Italian, affogato is traditionally made by pouring a hot, freshly brewed shot of espresso over a scoop of vanilla gelato. The resulting pool of coffee enmeshed with swirls of creamy, melting ice cream creates a marbled mix of flavours, temperatures and textures that not many other desserts, or drinks, can replicate.

The beauty of having just two ingredients is that the subtleties and complexities of each are brought to the foreground. The flavour profile of the espresso unfolds with every mouthful, and choosing the right coffee can transform the experience entirely.

That same emphasis on flavour and quality applies to the gelato itself. While gelato is simply the Italian word for ice cream, it does in fact differ from what we think of as ice cream owing to its higher milk and lower cream content. To be true to the affogato’s Italian roots, using gelato is ideal but in its absence, ice cream is fine as an alternative.

Sitting somewhere between drink and dessert, the affogato is undeniably one of the more indulgent ways to enjoy an espresso. You can also sip your espresso on the side for a different pairing experience. And these three carefully created variations from cafés around London show that there is a lot more to an affogato than simply coffee and ice cream.

Classic Italian

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