The story
The Greek frappé is usually traced to the 1957 Thessaloniki International Fair. Nestlé was demonstrating an instant chocolate drink for children made by shaking the powder with milk, and the story goes that an employee, Dimitris Vakondios, wanted his usual instant coffee on a break but could not find hot water. He shook the coffee with cold water and ice instead, producing a thick foam. Old newspaper advertisements and a 1951 film suggest a shaken Nescafé frappé may already have existed, but Thessaloniki keeps the credit. Heavy advertising in the 1980s made it the drink of Greek summer café life.
Rival claims
Some evidence suggests a shaken 'Nescafé frappé' was sold a few years before 1957; no other city claims it.
Also known as Greek frappé, frappe, φραπέ, Nescafé frappé.
On the Meridish menu
Frappé coffee was the aperitif course on menu No. 26 on October 26, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Instant coffee shaken with cold water and ice into a thick foam. A coffee salesman improvised it at a trade fair here in 1957 when he couldn't find hot water.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frapp%C3%A9_coffee
- visit-centralmacedonia.gr/en/what-to-do/80/gastronomy/1077/frappe-coffee
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
