Not to be confused with the 'force de frappe", described here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_de_frappe

...and no, it is not the Star Wars version of this tasty treat.

Quick, somebody update the Wikipedia article for Frappe!

Um, that's a short e

That is quite "wonderfoul"

Is there nothing wonderful that was not invented in Greece?

Long e as in "bed"?

Never knew bed was pronounced bead

I thought turkeys were the real wonder fowl.

I've enjoyed these many times, but now I'm baffled as to how to pronounce them. Are they "fraps", "frappays", or "frappehs"?

Also a leather hat sometimes worn by skydivers. Don't think they'll get mixed up too often.

Anti, Depends WHERE in New England. In Connecticut, we just call 'em milkshakes. But in Rhode Island, they call them cabinets.

ο φραπές (male)

It consists in nescafe instant coffee (the brand is important, jacobs for example sucks) shaken with sugar and ice. You can add milk or ice cream.

Italians confuse it with Frappe' which is Italian for milkshake hence the explanation in the sign.

The part about being extremely popular here is true.

The comment about the Americans also makes sense since most Americans i know seem to like that soap water that passes for coffee at starbucks, or even worse that shitty stuff the French machine makes.

What the sign does not say is that foreigners not used to heavy (and plentiful) coffee may encounter side effects that will result in the best bathroom visit they ever had specially if they eat a Greek breakfast with the φραπέ.

It has become the MOST POPULAR drink in Greece today.

Frappes have displaced water? No wonder the country is financially insolvent.

There are still quite a few ice cream places in New England that have both Frappes and Milkshakes on the menu. A frappe is what the rest of the country calls a milkshake, while a milkshake is just blended milk and syrup (no ice cream). While most places these days will warn you if you try to order a milkshake, a few places seem to take delight in dissapointing non-natives.

What this sign describes is more accuratly called Frappé coffee, a Greek frappé, or Café frappé if you want to get fancy.

No mate you are thinking about whiskey. And the country is not insolvent. We just won't pay.

hahaha...yes..."wonderfoul" is my new favorite word.

In fact I believe it's should be written frappé (I hope you can see the accent) the french word for iced or chilled, frappe (without the accent on the e) meaning strike or blow.

Frapees. Like "man on the flying frapees".

Someone figured out how to make instant coffee taste good? Apparently the Greeks have figured out how to use the stuff better than the Koreans.

So, no matter where I am in the world, ordering a Frappe will yield me some sort of delicious refreshing beverage? sweeeeet.

Even better is ordering gin and tonics, anywhere in the galaxy.

That’s nothing…

“This is what the Hitchhiker’s Guide has to say about gin and tonics:

“It is a curious fact that something like 85% of all known worlds in the Galaxy, be they primitive or highly advanced, have invented a drink called jynnan tonnyx, or gee-N-N-T’N-ix, or jinond-o-nicks, or any one of a thousand or more variations on the same phonetic theme. The drinks themselves are not the same, and vary between the Sivolvian ‘chinanto/mnigs’ which is ordinary water served at slightly above room temperature, and the Gagrakackan ‘tzjin-anthony-ks’ which kills cows at a hundred paces.”

Horay!, I edited that article on wikipedia!

BoingBoing, a directory of wonderfoul things?

Not only does it need to be Nescafe, but it needs to be the spray dried version of Nescafe that's sold in Greece. The freeze dried stuff available elsewhere does not thicken up properly.

"Someone figured out how to make instant coffee taste good? "

No no, not "good", but "wonderfoul".

Gee I have a cat that's good at "spray drying"....I think.
What IS spray-drying, anyway?

This Greek thing is not the drink sold at McDonald's, which they always pronounce to rhyme with "crappy"?

I was in Greece, down on Crete, for 6 months back in 1992. That's where my addiction to Frappes began. I drank them as often as I could get into town where they were served.

I got the list of ingredients from the guy there, and have made them since then here. And yes, Nescafe is the best, and I still use it myself.

And to the guy that said 'we call those milkshakes', you've never had one of these. It's not quite a milkshake. I don't actually like milkshakes. Or thick shakes, or whatever you call them in your region.

I think the instant coffee changes the way it tastes and its consistency. It doesn't even come close to tasting the same if you use regular brewed coffee, either. Ingredients and portions are key for this drink.

Yes, I take my Frappes seriously. I have to obsess about something in life. I picked up a black coffee obsession while I was there, too. Oh, and garlic. And Greek salads. Oh, and souvlaki on a pita with tzatziki! They were dirt cheap, too! I miss those days. Good food.

I haven't eaten in a McD in over a decade, so I can't confirm or deny what they serve as a Frappe. Odds are, though, since they screw up everything else, I'd have to say no, it's not.

Sugar on fries? Seriously?

I'll be in Greece (and Thessaloniki) in September ... I didn't realise Frappes were Greek. Another thing to add to the list! Thanks BB.

ZING!!

In, what, 1989? my wife and I were in Greece. Some guide book or other (or more than one) talked about this wonderful treat. It might have been an audio book, I have a distinct image of a British woman talking about how a frappe can be "very refreshing". I couldn't wait to try one, as soon as we could I got to a cafe and ordered a frappe.

It was a crappy (crappe?) cup of cold instant coffee with sugar. Altogether nasty. Not even especially refreshing.

YMMV, maybe I got the one place in Athens that didn't know how to make these things. But don't get your hopes up too high.

When I moved to the Boston area a few years ago, I learned that a frappe (pronounced "frap") is a milkshake. Lesson learned.

But then McD's started selling something also called a frappe (pronounced "frap-PAY", though), which is definitely not a milkshake. I overheard a guy order one at a McD's, and the cashier made sure to let him know that it shouldn't be confused with a milkshake. It's blended ice instead of a milkshake.

Surprising to me that they didn't adapt the marketing campaign up here.

What's a Greek coffee? At the risk of pissing off a whole lot of Greek people, can I assume it's like a Turkish coffee?

For "Spray dried instant coffee" visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_coffee

, and yes, indeed, its γουόντερφουλ.

Tea has long been the most popular drink in the world. Many places don't have drinkable tap water, you insensitive clod!

yup

Yes it's a long lasting feud between Greeks and Turks but of course the concept of boiling coffee is actually Arabic. Turks borrowed it and brought over here.

Anyway i think that the real Greek coffee is the Φραπές now both for popularity and originality.

Frappe is considered old school now in greece. A lot of people still drink it but it is being slowly replaced by freddo (espresso or cappuccino) which is a shot of espresso with crushed ice (and frothed milk if you want the cappuccino version).

There is a sort of "tradition" here in greece in elaborate cold coffee preparations. Making good frappe is considered an art and requires special tools. The same applies for freddo.

Frappe is really strong coffee - especially the way they make it in cafeterias - so tread carefully.

True true, i don't know how it is processed but i never found the tin can of Nescafe out of Greece, only the glass vases which are totally different (both the Red and Gold varieties) . One is grainy the other powdery and the powder will not make any foam, it sucks.

To clear things up with confusing a (greek) frappe with milkshakes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frapp%C3%A9_coffee
&
http://greekfood.about.com/od/mezethesdrinks/ht/frappe.htm

It's more like a pleasant way of enjoying your coffee during the summer, rather than it will change your life by tasting it. (although a lot of people will claim the opposite! :P )

@#35: There is some dispute whether a greek coffee is the same as the turkish, but can safely assume that it's pretty much the same thing. Both are consumed while warm, unlike the freppe.

unfortunately frappé is sponsored by nestle. i love hellas!

Seriously, what the duck?!

For the people insisting that a Frappe and Milkshake are the same, please look up (because I know you can't tell me) the difference between a crepe and a pancake. Same ingredients by the way. And made sorta basically the same way. A world of difference, though.

"Wonderfoul" is the word. I went to Greece in 1996 and had two of these one evening in the taverna around the corner from our villa.

It was like a highly caffeinated iced coffee, with a very dark bean coffee flavour to it.

For the rest of the evening, I felt on some kind of sugar/caffeine high and felt like I was floating up near the ceiling.

Of course, some of that could also have been the ouzo we were drinking in parallel. And ouzo? Made me think of nothing quite so much as drinking liquid licorice.

If you're talking about the people insisting that a frappe in New England is often what would be a Milkshake everywhere else in the USA, they are 100% correct.

It's typically made with Nescafe, and as you'd expect it tastes like unnatural chemicals. Not something you'd enjoy unless you like Diet Coke, Kool Aid, etc.

Now, I'm no fan of Starbucks coffee, but anyone claiming that nescafe instant coffee is anything but foul has very littler currency in my book to complain about any other coffee. No matter which, it's still "like coffee," and not actually coffee.

You should totally try frappe,it's available in every coffee place in the city of Thessaloniki!!!
Since you will be in the specific town you should try our bugatsa (either with cream or cheese)!!!
It's like a pie,only a lot better!
In fact,bugatsa with cheese and frappe is the best Greek combo there is,trust a guy born and living in Thessalonike,Greece

Hilarious commentary about Greeks' ability to spell English words from mostly American commenters. The average Greek speaks and writes at least two languages (Greek and English), sometimes 3 or 4 (French, German, Italian, Spanish are common too). Americans speak English. Some can even write it. Then they go abroad and wonder why people speak funny languages. When in doubt they use Spanish, even in Asia, because all foreigners are Mexican after all. Right Amigos?

As for the coffee, Frappe is pronounced like canape, with a French-accented é (e with acute accent) putting the emphasis on the final vowel. It is a strong, sweet iced coffee that is not a milkshake, is not Turkish or Greek coffee (that's a thick espresso-shot like boiled coffee). It tastes delicious and is the most potent coffee you will ever have. Then you will get the runs.

Ok, so this kind of sounds like the Greek version of cà phê sữa đá, aka Vietnamese iced coffee.

ελληνική έκδοση: instant coffee crystals + milk + sugar, over ice.
phiên bản việt: chicory and coffee (think New Orleans style café au lait) + sweetened condensed milk, over ice.

haha,my friend,this has nothing to do with milkshake!especially when frappe is with no sugar & milk in it ;)

I think there are a lot of people here who aren't understanding that the nescafe used in greek frappe is *not*, i repeat is *not* the crappy instant coffee sold at 7-11 stores in the states. I've been able to find the right stuff only in greek neighborhoods.

also, if you don't like coffee to begin with you won't like a frappe (i prefer mine with no milk). if you do like good coffee... a frappe is pure heaven. I wouldn't recommend drinking more than one or two cups at a time though unless you like bouncing off the walls for hours

"Wonderfoul" must be the European spelling. In America, of course, Webster has corrected it to "Wonderfol".

As a resident of Astoria, NY (a huge Greek 'hood) let me sing the praises of a REAL Greek Frappe. The Real Item is made with a special grade of Nescafe powdered coffee sold and made for that purpose.

Recipe: Into a shake-maker goes several scoops of the Nescafe, ice, and water. If one desires, one can add milk (I do) and/or sugar (I don't). Blend until some chunks of ice still exist. Pour into plastic serving cup, add straw, give the nice guy your $3 and get ready.

Yes to whomever upthread noted that this stuff is not only an incredibly strong caffeine kick but also the planet's most effective laxative.

Accent? Long e? Rhymes with red and bed??

By that description the correct pronounciation is "Frappê" (accent circonflexe).

But I agree, "wonderfoul" is perhaps the most delightful misspelling I've seen in a while.

Even if pronouncing the E at the end of frappe is the correct way, it makes you sound incredibly pretentious

Oh my goodness, those pita souvlakia!

They are even better than pizza, and pizza is otherwise my favourite food in the world. It's the taste of my childhood.

But I have no idea what to call them, so I have no idea what to ask for. I don't even know what kind of meat it was that I ate as a child. Pork? Goat? I think it may have been diced Heaven.

In America, a popular food at Greek restaurants is the "Gyro", and when it was described to me, as a Greek dish with meat and tsatsiki in a pita, I thought I might have found the name of the holy food.

But no. Gyros are more like what we know as a Kebab in the UK: a pita bread stuffed with sliced processed meat from a mechanically rotating spit.

The wiki page on "Souvlaki" suggests I might want to try asking for "pita-souvlakia me ola". I'll try that.

As for a café frapé - yeah :D As a kid, I'd make them with Nestlé tinned milk, Nescafé, water, ice, sugar. They were the high point of my day.

Seems like everyone has foods that are memories for them. For American ex-pat friends of mine, it's often Kraft mac-n-cheese. We don't CARE what you non-memory-tied people think. You can diss Nescafe all you want, just like I can diss your mac-n-cheese: your opinion doesn't matter, because the memories are not yours.

@Dewi Morgan

The pita souvlakia that you refer to go by different names in different parts of Greece. In Athens, you would ask for a 'pita kalamaki', and by default it comes with tomato, onion and tzatziki. A 'pediko' (meaning "child's") replaces the onion with hot chips (fries) within the pita bread (part of the sandwich).

A general note, for those of you who claim to have had poor experiences with a frappe - it is possible to consume poor versions of any food on earth. However, a properly prepared frappe is unlike anything that you can find in the US or UK. Starbucks is a poor man's version of "coffee".

When I was in Greece I noticed EVERYONE was drinking these things. I tried them and was blown away. They are indeed SO SO SO good. Here are some photos of the Frappes we had in Santorini:

http://bboyneko.smugmug.com/Travel/Greece-Vacation-May-2009/8435654_oKxNa#554286674_aD2jy

I know a different storie about the Frappe! During the Thesaloniki (aka Salonica) International Trade Festival held sometime during the late 70's a guy working at the Nestle stand tried to make a Cocoa Based beverage where you put milk, "NesQuick" cocoa you shake them on a shaker and you have you chocolate-milk.

The guy obviously instead of using cocoa used NesCafe and the rest is history. The name frappe comes from the French verb "to shake" and it's atributed to the French sleaking (probably from Switzerland) that took andvatage of the oportunity.

Sorry for the broken english but obviously I'm not a native english speaker.

So let's put it this way. Frappe is a Greek screw-up that turned a success by the intervation of Europeans. What does that teach you for the Greek economy? (I hope history will repeat it self)

Frappe: a serendipitous discovery?
Too cool for coffee.

Durians are wonderfoul.

The preparation of frappe has stages. You don’t put everything in a glass and that’s it. First in a shaker you put a few spoons of coffee (1-2 max. 3) and if you like sweet coffees you add sugar (most common 1 spoon more than coffee) and add a bit of water, enough to cover the ingredients. You shake hardly until the sugar and coffee crystals are completely smashed and the mixture if foamy. Then you drop it to a glass, add ice and then water until the glass is full. If you like you can add a bit of concentrated milk. Put a straw and use it to shake the coffee. Drink responsibly; frappe has high amounts of caffeine.

PS.: Frappe is not to accompany Greek salads, pita gyro, souvlaki, tsatsiki and other Greek delicacies and of course ouzo. If you need to eat something try bougatsa, as earlier mentioned, a Greek cheese pie or some biscuits. Sorry for my poor English.

YOU MUST BE JOKING...
frappe is totally different than milkshake, i assume that you 've never tasted one...
you ought to be more careful with frappe,
once with frappe, you never go back to latte...

Dude, that Wonderfoul thing can go on forever... you can make money out of it.

"Wonderfoul = even better than frappe"

Don't rush to finish it..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4QY180dSq4