 | |
| Type | Beverage |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | France |
| Main ingredients | Coffee with hot milk |
Café au lait (/ˌkæfeɪoʊˈleɪ,kæˌfeɪ,kə-/ ⓘ;French:[kafeolɛ];French for "coffee with milk") is coffee with hot milk added. It differs fromwhite coffee, which is coffee with cold milk or other whiteners added.
In France it is typically served as a breakfast drink, often as a large portion in a handleless bowl.
At home,café au lait can be prepared from dark coffee andheated milk; in cafés, it has been prepared onespresso machines fromespresso andsteamed milk ever since these machines became available in the 1940s—thus it merely refers to a "coffee and milk" mixture, depending on the location, not to a specific drink.
Café au lait andcaffèlatte are used as contrasting terms, to indicate whether the beverage is served in the "French" or the "Italian" way, the former being in a white porcelain cup or bowl, the latter in a kitchen glass and always made from an espresso machine, whereascafé au lait might be espresso- or dark coffee-based.
In many Americancoffeehouses, acafé au lait is a drink of strongdrip brewed orFrench pressed coffee, to which steamed milk is added; this contrasts with acaffè latte, which uses espresso as a base. Americancafé au lait is generally served in a cup, as with brewed coffee, being served in a bowl only at shops which wish to emphasize French tradition.
At Starbucks, Cafe Au Lait is known as "Caffe Misto" which is served with 1:1 ratio of French Press brewed Coffee and frothed milk.[1]
Café au lait is a popular drink inNew Orleans, available at coffee shops likeCafé du Monde andMorning Call Coffee Stand, where it is made with milk and coffee mixed withchicory. Unlike the European café style, a New Orleans-stylecafé au lait is made withscalded milk (milk warmed over heat to just below boiling), rather than with steamed milk.[2] The use of roasted chicory root as anextender in coffee became common in Louisiana during theAmerican Civil War, whenUnion navalblockades cut off thePort of New Orleans, forcing citizens to stretch out the coffee supply. In New Orleans, café au lait is traditionally drunk while eatingbeignets dusted with powdered sugar, which offsets the bitterness of the chicory.[3] The taste for coffee and chicory was developed by the French during their civil war. Coffee was scarce during those times, and they found that chicory added body and flavor to the brew. TheAcadians fromMaritime Canada brought this taste and many other French customs (heritage) to Louisiana.[4]
