Tiramisu appears to have been invented in the late 1960s or early 1970s, but where and when exactly is unclear.[3][4] Some believe the recipe was derived fromsbatudin, a simpler dessert made of egg yolks and sugar.[5] Others argue it originated from another dish,Dolce Torino [it].[6]
The tiramisu recipe is not found in cookbooks before the 1960s.[7][8][9] It is mentioned in aSydney Morning Herald restaurant column published in 1978.[10] It is not mentioned in encyclopaedias and dictionaries of the 1970s,[11][12][13] first appearing in an Italian dictionary in 1980,[14] and in English in 1982.[15] It is mentioned in a 1983 cookbook devoted to cooking of theVeneto region.[16]
Obituaries for the restaurateur Ado Campeol (1928–2021) reported that it was invented at his restaurant Le Beccherie inTreviso on 24 December 1969 by his wife Alba di Pillo (1929–2021) and the pastry chef Roberto Linguanotto (1943–2024).[17][18][19] The dish was added to its menu in 1972.[20][21][22] At the time of his death in July 2024, the Le Beccherie restaurant credited Linguanotto as the creator of the tiramisu.[23]
It has been claimed that tiramisu hasaphrodisiac effects and was concocted by a 19th-century Treviso brothel madam, as the Accademia Del Tiramisù explains, to "solve the problems they may have had with their conjugal duties on their return to their wives".[19][24]
There is evidence of atiremesù semi-frozen dessert served by the Vetturino restaurant in Pieris, in theFriuli-Venezia Giulia region, since 1938.[25] This may be the name's origin, while the recipe for tiramisu may have originated as a variation of another layered dessert,zuppa inglese.[26] Others claim it was created toward the end of the 17th century inSiena in honour of Grand DukeCosimo III.[27]
On 29 July 2017, tiramisu was entered by theMinistry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies on the list of traditional Friulian and Giulian agri-food products in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.[28][29] In 2013,Luca Zaia, President of Veneto, soughtEuropean Union protected status certification for the dessert, based on the ingredients used in 1970, so substitute ingredients, such as strawberries, could not be used in a dish called tiramisu.[30][31][32]
Original ingredients
Traditional tiramisu containsladyfingers (savoiardi), egg yolks, sugar, coffee,mascarpone, andcocoa powder. A common variant involves soaking thesavoiardi in alcohol, such asMarsala wine,amaretto or a coffee-basedliqueur. The original tiramisu made at Le Beccherie was circular.[33]
Variations
Tiramisu birthday cake
The original shape of the cake is round, although the shape of the biscuits also allows the use of a rectangular or square pan. Tiramisu is often assembled in round glasses, which show the various layers, or pyramids. Modern versions can have the addition of whipped cream or whipped egg whites, or both, combined with mascarpone. This makes the dish lighter, thick and foamy. Another variation involves the preparation of the cream with eggs heated just enough topasteurize the mixture without scrambling the eggs. The cake is usually eaten cold.[34]
Numerous variations of tiramisu exist. Many replace the coffee with other ingredients such as chocolate, amaretto, lemon, strawberry, pineapple, yoghurt, banana, raspberry, and coconut. Some cooks use other cakes or sweet, yeasted bread, such aspanettone, in place ofladyfingers (savoiardi).[35] Bakers living in different Italian regions often debate the use and structural qualities of utilising other types of cookies, such as pavesini for instance, in the recipe.[36] Other cheese mixtures are used as well, some containing raw eggs, and others containing no eggs at all.
^Pellegrino Artusi (1960–1991). "Torte e dolci al cucchiaio".La Scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiar bene. Giunti Editore. p. 571.ISBN88-09-00386-1.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
^Fernando Raris; Tina Raris (1998).La Marca gastronomica: amore e nostalgia per la cucina e i vini di nostra tradizione. Treviso: Canova Editore. p. 31.ISBN88-87061-55-6.
^Cremona, Luigi (2004).Italia dei dolci. Touring Editore. p. 57.ISBN88-365-2931-3.
^Lane, Trevor (30 August 1978)."The Irish in Paddington". Eating Out.The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 20.Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved28 February 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^Soletti, Francesco; Toscani, Ettore (2004).L'Italia del caffè (in Italian). p. 110.
^"Diciassettesima revisione dell elenco dei prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali" [Seventeenth revision of the list of traditional agri-food products].Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (in Italian). p. 24.Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved26 June 2023.pdf download=page 26 Regione Autonoma Friuli-Venezia Giulia item 137
