It is said that tiramisu is the fifth best known Italian word among non-Italians after pizza, spaghetti and mozzarella, being included in the vocabulary of up to 13 different languages. It is very likely that tiramisu is the typical Italian dessert best known among many others for its high nutritional values and its simplicity, so here we tell you about its origin.
The origin of tiramisu
Among the many famous legends about tiramisu, we find the legend of the Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo III de Medici. Legend has it that when the Duke visited Siena at the end of the 17th century, the most important pastry chefs of the city decided to prepare a dessert in his honor, reflecting the values of the aristocrat.
First, they mixed coffee to represent strength, cocoa to allude to his virility and Italian mascarpone to show his humility, naming it «La Zuppa del Duca». After its success, it began to be eaten in Venetian brothels for its supposed restorative and even aphrodisiac effects, before their amorous encounters.
Another legend says that it was invented in Turin in the middle of the 19th century, but this time in honor of the Count of Camillo Cavour, since a renowned pastry chef offered him a dessert as a thank you while he was unifying the Italian peninsula.
All these cases claiming the invention of tiramisu were not considered credible until the Italian magazine Vin Veneto announced Roberto «Loli» Linguanotto of the restaurant Alle Beccherie in the city of Treviso, the author of the dessert in the 1960s under the name «tiramesu».
After the success of the dessert, its name was changed to tiramisu for its nutritional and restorative properties, just as the recipe had variations, reaching popularity not only in Treviso, but also throughout the Veneto region and Italy.
Gastronomy
Tiramisu is a popular cold dessert, assembled in layers, made from coffee, a cream of beaten eggs with sugar and cocoa sprinkled on top. It has become the most praised dessert in Italy and although its original recipe only included mascarpone, eggs, sugar, savoiardi, coffee and cocoa powder, it has changed its ingredients with different versions, which include:
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- Liqueur
- Chocolate
- Strawberries
- Ice cream
- Limoncello
- Yogurt
The true origin of tiramisu cannot be assured because as mentioned, it has many different legends that attribute its invention, but what we can affirm are the nutritional properties ready to raise the lost energy and mood.
Are you ready to try it? We are waiting for you at Ragazzi.
Buon appetito!
Bibliographic references:
Viveur, B. (n.d.). La historia del tiramisú: qué es y cuál es su origen. Www.bonviveur.es. https://www.bonviveur.es/gastroteca/la-historia-del-tiramisu
Historia del tiramisú italiano. (n.d.). Que Queso. Retrieved September 9, 2022, from https://www.quequesos.es/descubre/historia-del-tiramisu-italiano/
