First of all, what is Tiramisu? The short answer would be: probably the most famous Italian dessert. For those of you who don’t know it, it’s a non-baked dessert, made of two different types of layers: one of coffee-soaked biscuits, the other of cream of whipped eggs, mascarpone (a very thick cheese) and sugar. The biscuits are arranged in a casserole, covered with the cream, and the process is repeated until the casserole is filled (usually 2 or 3 layers). The top layer is always cream, with a last touch of sprinkled cocoa powder.
A definite history of tiramisu has not been written yet. Too many different contradicting accounts, too many people claiming that they (or some distant relative of theirs) made Tiramisu what it is.
The account that tiramisu, “was initially created in Siena, in the northwestern Italian province of Tuscany” in the XVII century in Tuscany (you have probably found it before in the Internet) is unreliable, as Tiramisu is not the only layered or egg-based dessert in Mediterranean cuisine.
We will have to do without the “once upon a time” factor, and fast forward 300 years, 300 Km North-East of Florence. The city of Treviso in the 1970s: that is where and when Tiramisu was invented. Treviso is a city of the region of Veneto, not far from Venice, and it is definitely worth a visit for his historical value. One more reason you have now is to taste the authentic Tiramisu.
Although there is a general agreement on Treviso as place of birth of Tiramisu, the debate on exactly who created it and how is very much alive. There is one place in particular where almost all the accounts converge: a restaurant called Le Beccherie.
At that time, in the Veneto region, it was very common to give beaten eggs with sugar as a tonic food to children and the elderly, to help their convalescence after an illness. It was called (in the local dialect) “el sbatudin,” “the little beaten egg mix.” The fact that the tonic and energizing properties of this very simple recipe were also very popular in the brothels (which were legal in Italy until 1958), led to another colorful story on the origins of Tiramisu, as a post-intercourse energizing dessert. But this is also not true since, as we are about to see, Tiramisu was created as a dessert for the whole family.
However, I hope you see where the general problem is: in the history of food it is often difficult to draw a line and say: “from now on this particular dish existed, before it didn’t.” One recipe is often the product of an evolution of previous recipes, to which the final inventor adds something new.
So, let’s go back to the “el sbatudin” and see what we have: eggs and sugar. What are we missing for the authentic tiramisu recipe? Mascarpone, Savoiardi biscuits, coffee, and cocoa powder. This is where we can actually try and draw the first line: who added the rest of the ingredients? Well, there is a man who, very adamantly claims he did: his name is Roberto Linguanotto, who started as a young chef at Le Beccherie, owned by the Campeol family, in 1970. In his website Mr. Linguanotto claims that at that time the owners wanted a new dessert, which would be suitable for young and old. Mr. Linguanotto did his best to impress his new employers, and one day, putting together very popular ingredients in a new way, a new dessert was born, which was immediately called Tiramisu, meaning “pull me up” or “pick me up,” meaning both in the spirit and in the body.
Is this tiramisu history all decided and settled? Not quite, because in another restaurant not too far away, the “al Fogher” the main dessert was “la Coppa Imperiale”, which used the same eggs and sugar mix, poured on top of coffee soaked Savoiardi biscuits. In other words, Tiramisu without mascarpone. On the one hand, owners and former staff of “al Fogher” admit that it was only at “le Beccherie” that Tiramisu was given the final fundamental ingredient and became popular, but on the other, they also claim that without their “Coppa imperiale” Tiramisu would have never been born.
More recently, a new contender has entered the arena for the authentic tiramisu recipe. His name is Carminantonio Ianaccone, an Italian who emigrated to the USA. In the 70s he opened a restaurant in Treviso, called Piedigrotta where, he claims, he invented Tiramisu. According to Ianaccone’s account, his restaurant sold Tiramisu to le Beccherie, which simply passed it off as their own. It goes without saying that among the local Tiramisu experts, this theory is not very popular.
Who tells the truth? To be honest with you, I hope we will never know, this battle for paternity makes this icon of Italian desserts even more fascinating.