The cappuccino

The cappuccino is a mysterious beast. Its base of espresso coffee is covered with heated milk that's been steamed to create a creamy foam. And then there's often some chocolate power (or cinnamon or cocoa, depending on preference) sprinkled on the top.

It's named, so we're told, after Capuchin monks - technically the "Order of Friars Minor Capuchin" - who've been around since the 16th century. The Capuchins were inspired by St Francis of Assisi and chose to wear hooded brown robes. This distinctive appearance led to the brown Capuchin monkey being named after the Capuchin monks. Makes sense to us. What it doesn't really explain is how a coffee topped with foamed milk was also named after the monks. Still, at the turn of the 20th century, that's pretty much what seems to have happened.

We're also puzzled about why people sprinkle chocolate on top of their cappuccinos. We haven't yet uncovered the mystery - but we couldn't resist buying these stencils to help us with our coffee art!