Bicerin, which in the Piedmontese language means “small glass”, has been recognized since 2001 as a “traditional Piedmontese drink” with publication in the Official Bulletin of the Region Piemonte.
Born as an evolution of the eighteenth-century Bavareisa drink, then very fashionable, it consists of coffee, chocolate and milk cream (... but the doses are secret!) and it is served in glasses or glass goblets so as to be able to admire the individual layers: the secret to savouring it at its best, in fact, is not to mix it up, but let the various components blend together directly on the palate, with their different densities, temperatures and flavours.
The original rite foresaw that the bicerin was to be accompanied by the stisse, three small glasses each with a single ingredient so that it could be “spiked” as desired, but since the nineteenth century we prefer to serve it in a single solution: its enveloping taste has conquered the inhabitants of Torino and also many famous people such as Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour.
A trip to Torino must absolutely include the tasting of this delicacy, in the historic cafes of the city or during the Merenda Reale®