☕ Cup

A cup is a small drinking vessel with a handle, often served on a saucer. People drink tea with milk, coffee and cappuccino from cups.

The cup came from China together with tea and porcelain. The first teacups had no handle and no saucer. Later, people began putting a stand under them so as not to burn their fingers. That stand became the saucer. At first, Europeans copied Chinese and Japanese cups. Handles appeared on chocolate cups in the 17th century. In the West, handles became normal on teacups only in the early 19th century.

Milky coffee has its own cups. Cappuccino is served in a small cup with a handle that holds up to 180 ml. Thick walls keep the heat in, and the wide top leaves room for the milk foam. A latte is usually poured into a larger, tall glass.