National Frappe Day – October 7, 2022, history significance
Frappes are a favorite for all ages and all ranges of taste. From Cupcake Creme to Peanut Butter Cup and everything in between, frappes are undoubtedly an American staple in the coffee consuming world. Thus, it only seems fair to dedicate an entire day to this epic drink. October 7 is National Frappe Day, and you better bet there will be millions of people celebrating with you.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL FRAPPE DAY
Necessity is said to be the mother of invention. The need for a caffeine fix was the impetus behind Dimitris Vakondios shaking up the first frappé at the 1957 Thessaloniki International Fair in Thessalonika, Greece.
Vakondios was representing the Swiss-owned Nestlé food company at the annual international exhibition, where Nestle was introducing a new instant chocolate beverage made with milk and shaken in a shaker.
Vakondios could not find hot water to make his usual Nescafe instant coffee during his break, so he improvised by mixing his Nescafe with cold water and ice in one of the exhibit shakers. Voila! The result was a satisfying and refreshing foamy cold coffee beverage that became the first Greek café frappé. Not only is Greek frappé still the most popular coffee beverage in Greece and Cyprus, but it is also the official national coffee drink of Greece.
Today’s popular American versions of the Greek frappé contains milk, cream, or even ice cream, blended with instant coffee, while the authentic Greek frappé contains no milk products. Greeks are quick to boast that the most important thing to know about a Greek frappé is that it does not contain ice cream, only crushed ice cubes and that it is shaken until it foams.
NATIONAL FRAPPE DAY TIMELINE
1957
Dimitris Vakondios invents the Greek frappe
Thessaloniki International Fair in Thessaloniki, Greece
1957
First Starbucks coffee house opens
Pike’s Place in Seattle, Washington
1994
First Frappuccino is blended in Boston
Coffee Connection shop owner George Howell invents the Frappuccino in Boston, Massachusetts, and trademarks the name Frappuccino, a name play on beloved international coffee favorites – the Greek frappé and Italian cappuccino.
1994
Starbucks acquires the Coffee Connection Frappuccino recipe and name
Howard Schultz buys George Howell’s Coffee Connection stores, changes the Frappuccino recipe, and renames all the stores to Starbucks.
HOW TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL FRAPPÉ DAY
Pay it forward
Cover the cost of a frappé for the person in line behind you when you stop by your favorite coffee house today to celebrate National Frappe Day. Hopefully, they do the same for the person behind them. And yes, how cool would it be if you are the last person in that line of pay-it-forward frappé celebrants.
Don’t worry, be frappé
Instead of starting your day with the same old daily grind, why not seize the day early with a fabulously frothy morning frappé. Go ahead – shake it up early! Today is National Frappe Day, and It only comes around once a year.
Blend up a batch of frappé at home
Try your hand at blending the perfect frappe at home. Keep reading because we’re going to share the secret ingredient to keep your homemade frappes frothy and foamy.
5 THINGS EVERY FRAPPÉ AFICIONADO SHOULD KNOW
Frappé does not rhyme with the word “map”
Frappé is a French word, pronounced “fra-ˈpā” and rhymes with the word “today,” as in “today is NationalFrappé Day.” Its contemporary culinary meaning translates to English as “iced.”
Without coffee, it is just a milkshake
Need we say more?
Greek frappe is ordered by sweetness
Authentic Greek frappé is a foam-covered iced coffee drink made with spray-dried (never freeze-dried) instant coffee, ice cubes, cold water, and maybe sugar. It is ordered by degree of sweetness: plain, medium, or sweet.
The secret ingredient for homemade frothiness
If you are a coffee snob who turns up your nose at instant coffee, you can make a homemade frappé with strongly brewed espresso coffee with foam that won’t separate. You just need to add the secret ingredient, an emulsifier called Xanthan Gum. Just add a big pinch before blending and your frappé froth will stay lofty.
There’s science behind the frothy frappe
We’re not rocket scientists or chemists, so we’ll get right to the bottom line without the equations and citations. Spray-dried instant coffee, which is not the same as freeze-dried instant coffee, has a lower oil content. Lower oil is the key to the long-lasting frothy bubbles in a frappe. We wonder if rocket scientists and chemists ever think about this when drinking a frappe.
WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL FRAPPE DAY
Frappé makes us happy
Have you ever seen anyone drinking a frappé look sad or unhappy? Frappé and happy rhyme. A coincidence? We think not
Instant popularity
Show up today with a tray full of frappés for the office staff, the guys and gals at the salon, or any gathering and watch your popularity quotient bump up a full 10 points.
Makes us feel chic and very cosmopolitan
Indulging in a cold and frothy frappé on National Frappe Day transports us to another time and place where we’re sitting with friends around an umbrellaed bistro table at a seaside Mediterranean café.
