A hot chocolate, please.
cio-co-LA-ta — four syllables, stress on third. 'Ci' sounds like 'ch'.
In winter, or when you do not want coffee but want something warm and comforting. Italian hot chocolate ('cioccolata calda') is extremely thick — almost like a pudding.
Italian 'cioccolata calda' is not the thin hot chocolate of other countries — it is thick, dense, almost spoon-able, made with real cocoa and often a starch to thicken it. It is a seasonal speciality in colder months and is considered a proper indulgence.
Una cioccolata densa.
A thick hot chocolate.
'Densa' (thick/dense) — specify if you want the very thick Italian version
Una cioccolata con panna.
A hot chocolate with whipped cream.
Classic winter combination — cream melts into the chocolate
Un cacao.
A cocoa drink.
'Cacao' can mean a lighter powdered cocoa drink — less rich than cioccolata calda
The thick Italian hot chocolate is a winter institution, particularly popular after a morning walk in the cold or during the Christmas period. The city of Turin has a special claim to hot chocolate culture — it was the first city in Italy to have a chocolate factory and its cafés serve some of the finest cioccolata calda in the country.