What is the octagonal aluminum pot that sits on Italian kitchen stovetops?
In many Italian homes, a small octagonal aluminum coffee pot sits on the kitchen stove. It has two main parts. Water goes in the bottom, ground coffee goes in a small basket in the middle, and the top starts out empty. After a few minutes over a gas flame, pressure builds inside, and espresso rises through the central tube into the top. This is the moka pot.
Invented in 1933 by an Italian aluminum worker, the moka pot became a standard tool for making espresso at home after World War II. Today, about 70–90% of Italian households own one. That is a clear contrast with countries where capsule machines or drip coffee makers are more common in the kitchen. The octagonal design is also in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.
In many other countries, a kitchen might have a capsule machine, a drip coffee maker, or instant coffee. In Italian homes, the octagonal aluminum pot sits on the stove. Beside it, one or two small espresso cups are already set out with saucers and little spoons.