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Why don’t Italians drink cappuccino after a meal?

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Picture of Elana Horwich

Elana Horwich

September 11, 2015

Italians don’t have cappuccino after 11 o’clock in the morning and if you are ordering one after a meal, your Italian waiter is laughing at you. Or at least shaking his head.

Coffee and milk, though a tradition in many cultures, is not actually good for digestion and the Italians know that. They love their cappuccinos and caffe lattes, but these are breakfast drinks, to be eaten with a light croissant -cornetto – at the most.

Consumed with more intense food – pasta, meat, sauces, vegetables – cappuccino is a walk time bomb for gas in your belly. Italians know this. They drink espresso after a meal to help digest. The milk hinders that process. Americans are simply used to indigestion.

Restaurants in Italy that don’t cater to tourists won’t even serve you a cappuccino after a meal. They don’t have a milk-frother or even the milk! Restaurants that do serve you a cappuccino are after your money and are not upholding Italian culinary integrity.

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