Naples’ pending coffee – ‘o cafè suspiso – is an old tradition that has seen a sort of revival during recent years.
The pending coffee is a cup of coffee paid for in advance to the benefit of a stranger. When the client in the bar orders a suspended coffee, they are in fact paying for two cups of coffee: one for themselves, and the other one for a person who might be in need and who walking in the bar will have to ask if there is a suspended coffee for them. Should the pending coffee be available, then they will be able to order and drink the coffee paid for in advance by another customer.
When did the tradition of Naples’ pending coffee come to be?
According to some tales passed on to modern times, this custom seems to have come to be in the working-class neighbourhood called Quartiere della Sanità, as a result of the discussions that were had when it was time to pay coffee among a group of friends or relatives. In the confusion that would ensue in the race to be the first to pay, it would happen that people would end up paying for cups coffee that were not ordered. At that point, however, it became a custom not to get the money back but, on the contrary, to leave it for anyone who might have needed it. Furthermore, according to some this custom was related to the habit of those who feeling fortunate or being well off, decided to make a little gesture of compassion and charity.
This habit, along with many others, was described by Neapolitan writer Luciano De Crescenzo in a series of articles and observations to which he gave the title “Il caffè sospeso. Saggezza quotidiana in piccoli sorsi“.
More recently, also as a result of the renovation of the main street of the city of Naples, which has returned to be a top destination for many tourists from all around the world, the practice of the pending coffee has made a comeback. On December 10, 2011 the Day of the Pending Coffee was inaugurated. All around town, many bars had the words “ pending coffee” displayed outside, to let people know that they practice this positive social habit. In 2017, the documentary Caffè Sospeso, shot between Italy, Argentina and the United States, told about this tradition from Naples, that was picked up also in other Italian regions.
Featured image: Informazione senza filtro
