When you stop by Starbucks or any other place for Coffee on Wednesday, November 8, you might wonder why most people are foregoing their usual java and are asking for Cappuccino. That's because today is National Cappuccino Day. The frothy coffee has been around a long time. It was created in Italy in the 1600s.

Believe it or not, it gets its name from the Italian monks who were known as the Catholic Capuchins. The Italian word "cappuccio" means hood or something that covers the head. When the coffee is prepared, it looks like the dark brown hood the monks wear.

How cappuccino is made

The popular beverage is made with espresso, hot milk, and topped with a steamed-milk foam. The drink can be made with cream instead of milk. It can be flavored with chocolate powder or cinnamon. Often the beverage is much smaller in volume than a caffè latte that has thicker foam.

In Italy, It is the customary way to jumpstart someone's day. In other places, the coffee serves the opposite purpose. Cappuccino is consumed later in the day as a popular after-dinner drink.

The espresso-based drink is one of the most difficult coffees to make. Baristas know they have to be very careful while steaming the milk to get the right amount of foam. A skilled barista will often make designs while pouring the milk on top of the espresso coffee.

This impresses the recipient of the cup of coffee.

Interesting thing about the coffee

Even though it had been around for centuries in Italy, cappuccino did not become popular in the United States until the 1990s along with the popularity of luxurious coffee houses. Today, cappuccino is sold in places other than at high scaled coffee houses.

A version of it is sold at fast food restaurants, convenience stores, and other places. The beverage today is often prepared with the espresso machine that was invented in 1945.

Enjoy your cappuccino on its day to be celebrated. Grab a cup of it on your way to work. Think of your co-workers when you order yours. Take some along with you to the office and share the delightful treat with those you work with.

They will thank you for thinking of them as they enjoy the nice hot cup of cappuccino on a cold morning.

Is cappuccino one of your favorite coffees? Even if it is not, try it on November 8 to join in with millions of other coffee drinkers around the country. You might enjoy it so much that you will continue to drink it instead of your usual brand. When you look at the cup of coffee, see if it really looks like a monk covered in a brown hood.