Discover the Curiosities of Tiramisu
Tiramisu is one of the most delicious Italian desserts to enjoy the traditional flavors of Italian cuisine at our Rossini pizzeria restaurant.
With the arrival of summer and rising temperatures, many of our diners can’t resist enjoying this little specialty during their evening in Barcelona.
Due to its great popularity worldwide, today we’ll share 4 curiosities about tiramisu you probably didn’t know, so you can discover fun anecdotes about this irresistible homemade Italian dessert. We hope you like them!
A Name with Multiple Meanings
The word "Tiramisu" comes from the Treviso dialect, a variant of Italian from the city of Venice. Its meaning has been interpreted and/or translated as “Pick me up,” “Lift me up,” “Bring me,” or “Cheer me up.”
These translations are especially associated with its ingredients (coffee, chocolate, cheese, cream) and its high-calorie content.
The Current Reputation of Tiramisu
As we mentioned earlier, tiramisu is one of the most famous Italian desserts in the world, and it’s common for many Italian restaurants in Barcelona to include it on their menus. Additionally, this popular dessert has received several recognitions:
- In 2006, on the occasion of European Day, tiramisu was chosen to represent Italy in the Sweet Europe initiative.
- On January 17, 2013, it was declared the official dish of the VI International Day of Italian Cuisine in New York.
- Since July 29, 2017, the Ministry of Agricultural, Food, and Forestry Policies included the traditional Friulian recipe for tiramisu in the list of traditional agro-food products of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.
- In 2017, the first "Tiramisu World Cup" was held in Treviso, a competition for professionals not linked to the restaurant industry. The event was repeated in 2018 and 2019.
Tiramisu and Its Impact on History
Although the origins of tiramisu are not officially documented, two popular versions attempt to explain its creation.
According to Italian sources, the oenologist Giuseppe Maffioli, a journalist for the magazine Vin Veneto in 1981, made an official historical account of the dessert’s preparation. His sources indicated that tiramisu was created between the late 1960s and early 1970s at the restaurant “Alle Beccherie” in Treviso. The pastry chef Roberto Linguanotto, who managed the restaurant, wanted to recreate desserts he had encountered during his experience abroad.
In an interview, Linguanotto claimed that his recipe derived from the «sbatudin», a mixture of egg yolk beaten with sugar, used by farmers as an energy tonic, to which he added mascarpone cheese. However, this research sparked controversy, as other restaurants in the region, such as “Al Camín” or “Al Fogher”, also claimed authorship of the dessert.
A Dessert Created by a Madame
Some local legends attribute the creation of tiramisu to a madame of a brothel in Venice, shortly before World War I. According to these stories, this woman prepared the dessert to restore the energy of her clients after their visits.
Thanks to the energizing and aphrodisiac properties of its main ingredients (chocolate and coffee), the dessert gained popularity and became known by members of the royalty, who spread it to the court of Milan.
A Space Dessert
In 2013, Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano, a lover of Italian cuisine, requested a special menu for his stay aboard the Russian spacecraft Soyuz TMA-09M. In response, a renowned chef from Turin created a dehydrated tiramisu, which was delivered to Parmitano via a supply ship.
Conclusion
That’s it for our post dedicated to the curiosities of tiramisu. We hope these small curiosities have helped you learn more about this popular Italian dessert from our menu.
If you want to discover more curiosities and anecdotes, we recommend “The enigmatic Plaça Reial of Barcelona” and “Rossini, extraordinary musician and passionate gourmet”.
See you in another post!