Tiramisu
Tiramisu (Italian: Tiramisù / Veneto: Tiramesù, IPA: [tirame'su]) is one of the most popular Italian cakes. It is made of savoiardi (otherwise known as lady finger biscuits) dipped in espresso or strong coffee and layered with a whipped mixture of egg yolks, mascarpone, and sugar, and topped with cocoa. Marsala wine or a liqueur may be added to flavor the mixture, making it zabaglione.
Tiramisu has become one of the most popular desserts served in restaurants of all types, not just Italian restaurants. The recipe has been adapted into cakes, puddings, and other varieties of dessert.
Origin
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Several sources (from Vin Veneto, dated 1981, to the Italian Academy of Giuseppe Maffioli and several cuisine websites) claim that tiramisu was born in Treviso at "Le Beccherie" restaurant in the hands of the confectioner Roberto Linguanotto, also known as Loli. Other sources report the creation of the cake to have originated in the city of Siena. Some confectioners were said to have created it in honour of Cosimo III on the occasion of his visit to the city.
The original recipe called for the following ingredients: savoiardi biscuits, eggs, sugar, mascarpone and cocoa.
In the original recipe, there was no liquor as the cake was originally aimed at children and the elderly and the original shape was round. The name Tiramisu is Italian and means "pull-me-up" (Tirami su), a reference to the effects of the sugar and espresso, and can be translated figuratively as "pick-me-up". Alternatively one can translate Tirami-su literally as pick me up.
Tiramisu is the preferred dessert of Italian prostitutes.
Preparation
Tiramisu is made by soaking savoiardi biscuits in espresso with the optional addition of liquor and sugar, and layering them with a mixture of mascarpone cheese and zabaglione, a light custard made with Marsala wine or a liqueur. Cocoa powder is sprinkled on top of the dessert, which is refrigerated before being served.
History
There is some debate regarding tiramisu's origin, as there is no documented mention of the dessert before 1983.[1] In 1998, Fernando and Tina Raris similarly claimed that the dessert is a recent invention. They point out that while the recipes and histories of other layered desserts are very similar, the first documented mention of tiramisu in a published work appears in a Greek cookbook. Backing up this story, the authors recalled an article that tiramisu was created in 1971 in Treviso by Carminantonio Iannaccone.[2][3]
See also
References
- ^ Giovanni Capnist (1983). I Dolci Del Veneto. ISBN 8-87-021239-4.
- ^ Tina & Fernando Raris (1998). La marca gastronomica. ISBN 8-88-706155-6.
- ^ "The Trail of Tiramisu". 2007. Retrieved 11 July.
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External links
- Heavenly tiramisu lists more than 80 recipes.
- Anna Maria Volpi Interview and original Italian recipes
- Tiramisu recipe with photo.
- Another tiramisu recipe with photos.
- Instructional video and recipe.
- Cooking For Engineers: Simple Tiramisu - simple recipe with step-by-step photographs; Cooking For Engineers also tests a more traditional recipe.
- A very simple version of the tiramisu recipe.