A Puerto Rican friend says it originated there, a Dominican friend says it originated there, but Wikipedia says it's Italian. It's all Greek to me, though! What is this coffeemaker, and why do I call it Greek?

edmund80

This is a very long shot but to get things started, let me ask, are you looking for the Moka Express? According to Wikipedia it was invented by Alfonso Bialetti, an Italian, in 1933. It makes coffee directly on the stove top, similar to the Greek briki (or Turkish ibriki). The resulting coffee is said to be something in between espresso and Turkish (or Greek) coffee. Finally, and the longest shot of all, there is a Moca in Puerto Rico and a Moca in the Dominican Republic, which could account for spurious claims that "Moka" is from either of those places. Told you it was a long shot! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moka_pot http://www.ringsurf.com/online/2084-greek_or_turkish_briki.html http://www.greekcuisine.com/redesign/Greek_Cooking/More_Resources/coffee.htm http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.brewers.ibrik.shtml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moca,_Puerto_Rico http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moca,_Dominican_Republic Oct 04 08, 1:09 PM

queproblema

Wow, Ed, that's a lot of research! You're right on the button with the Moka pot--that's the coffeemaker in question. The others may not be easily googlable, but here's a hint: It's all Greek to me in Spanish. ;-) Oct 04 08, 1:42 PM

edmund80

Hmmmm.....coffee maker in Spanish is either máquina de café or cafetera. A cafetera is certainly used in a cafeteria, the self-service eating establishment. Cafeteria (in Spanish, "coffee shop", roughly speaking), in turn comes from Turkish and Greek for "the place where one drinks coffee" or "coffee house", as in the source below which I cannot type here, as it is all Greek to me too. So the Moka pot is a cafetera in Spanish, the etymological root of which could be buried beneath some ancient Greek coffee house? I don't drink coffee, so all of this is Greek to me! http://www.jstor.org/pss/451402 http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cafetera http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cafeteria#History Oct 04 08, 2:39 PM

queproblema

You don't drink coffee! I suppose that's forgiveable, if not understandable, in such a fine person as yourself. :-) Fascinating stuff here, if miles away from what I have in mind. You have the right idea, just the wrong angle. Upon searching, I find my question to be flawed--boo-hoo-- because I can't find an online site that gives "greca" as a Spanish word or prefix. I don't know this Peace Corps volunteer, but she has a picture and description: "A greca is what Dominicans use to make coffee. It is probably one of the best inventions in all the world." http://robynsdr.blogspot.com/2007/08/bookshelves-scenery-and-grecas.html And: "Espresso pots (aluminum stove top) are always called 'grecas' in Puerto Rico." http://www.proz.com/kudoz/spanish_to_english/other/2239358-una_greca_para_colar_caf%E3%A9.html Interestingly, your link to the Spanish Wiki article, "Cafetera," calls the greca an Italian coffeemaker. I find the Moka pot too troublesome to use. Think I'll go boil a pot of water now and dump in some ground coffee! Oct 04 08, 4:12 PM

author

Greca is Italian, not Spanish. Quote: The greca, or more properly the douillette, is a clerical double-breasted overcoat worn over the cassock. The greca is of slightly longer length than the cassock so as to entirely cover it. The greca is black except in the case of the Pope who wears a white greca. The black greca may have either a plain or velvet collar. The greca is usually worn in place of the manto, the clerical ankle-length cloak, with or without shoulder cape, worn over the cassock. The greca, or douillette, came into the Roman Church through France, was adapted from civil wear for the clergy in 1812, and has changed little since. The douillette came to be called a "greca," the Italian word for "Greek," as it reminded Roman clergy of the long black overcoat worn by Eastern priests. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greca Oct 04 08, 8:53 PM

author

Sorry, the link was wrong. Never min the pope's clothing, I was only going to say that "Grecca" is Italian, not Spanish. This quote might explain why this Italian word was passed over to a Spanish speaking country: In modern, urban Dominican homes, "colar café" endures as the expression meaning "to make coffee", even if you are using the ubiquitous greca, the aluminum stovetop Italian- style espresso jug found in practically all Dominican kitchens. At one time, the story goes, "greca" was one of the most famous brand names for this particular type of coffee pot, and Dominicans have adopted it as the generic word for this utensil. Other methods of making coffee are rarely seen, except for in restaurants and cafeterias where Italian espresso machines are used with sublime effects. http://dr1.com/articles/coffee_1.shtml Oct 04 08, 9:00 PM

queproblema

Yes, I discovered "greca" is really Italian, but it's become a loanword in Pto. Rico and the Dominican Republic, even if I can't find a dictionary that says so. Author's quote is pretty authoritative. (I also discovered "greca" in Spanish means a border, particularly a Greek-style border. And of course the great "El Greco" was the Greek painter, Doménicos Theotokópoulos. But all that's beside the point.) So, let's get on with those "sublime effects"! We don't need a Moka pot or an Italian espresso machine, either. This is for my unnamed friend who said "Ew" about dumping ground coffee into boiling water. ;-) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowboy_coffee Oct 04 08, 10:28 PM