Tiramisù is one of the most popular desserts in the world, it is the fifth word of Italian cuisine best known abroad, the first for desserts. Etymology of the word Tiramisu: lift me up, strengthen my body.
Tiramisu is a traditional dessert widespread throughout Italy, whose origins are debated and attributed above all to Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is a spoon dessert based on ladyfingers (or other biscuits with a crumbly consistency) soaked in coffee and covered with a cream, composed of mascarpone, eggs and sugar. The tiramisu recipe is not present in cookbooks prior to the 1960s. This allows us to assume that tiramisu, as we know it now, is a recent invention.
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The grandmothers tell us that they prepared this dessert with art and passion for family and friends, well before the 1950s. So, before the spread of electricity and the first refrigerators, they had this dessert, only in the province of Treviso and surrounding areas. In fact, due to the fresh ingredients, tiramisù did not have a long shelf life.
The history of this dessert teaches us to ennoble poor foods such as mascarpone (probably from the Lombard “mascherpa” which means ricotta, but it is not ricotta). Mascarpone is an acidified milk cream obtained from cream or milk cream. According to some historians, the origin of this cheese dates back to the medieval period. Its name derives from an expression used by a Spanish nobleman of the 1200s who said “Mas che bueno” (more than good).
World Tiramisu Day is on March 21st. The first day of spring and the day of dessert that recharges you for the new season like a tonic.
In Puglia an ancient traditional recipe, replaces the ladyfingers biscuits ( intended to rich families ) with bread since the roots of our cuisine, are in the farmers’ traditions made of simple foods. Contact us for a guided tour of the sites and the food of Puglia.