Tiramisu
The most famous Italian dessert
Tiramisu appears to have been invented in the 1960s, but where and when exactly is unclear.
Obituaries for the restaurateur Ado Campeol (1928–2021) reported that it was invented at his restaurant Le
Beccherie in Treviso on 24 December 1969 by his wife Alba di Pillo (1929–2021) and the pastry chef Roberto
Linguanotto. The dish was added to its menu in 1972. Accounts by
Carminantonio Iannaccone claim the tiramisu sold at Le Beccherie was made by him in his bakery, created on
24 December 1969.
It is made of ladyfingers (savoiardi) dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar, and
mascarpone cheese, flavoured with cocoa. The recipe has been adapted into many varieties of cakes and other
desserts.Its origins are often disputed among Italian regions Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia.
It has been claimed that tiramisu has aphrodisiac 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".