Italy's most beloved dessert: espresso-soaked, mascarpone-rich, and dusted with dark cocoa
Origin: Treviso, Veneto, Italy
From the journey of Coffee.
Tiramisù, literally 'lift me up' in Italian (tira mi sù), is one of the most widely replicated Italian dishes in the world and an unambiguous ambassador of Italian food culture globally. The name refers both to the stimulating caffeine and spirits in the dish and to a general sense of physical and emotional elevation. Its origins are subject to fierce regional pride: the most widely accepted attribution places the creation with Roberto Linguanotto (nicknamed Loly), a pastry chef at the restaurant Le Beccherie in Treviso, Veneto, who developed the recipe in the early 1970s in collaboration with the restaurant's owner Ada Campeol, who has sometimes been called the 'mother of tiramisù'. The dish spread through Veneto restaurants in the late 1970s and became a global phenomenon through the 1980s and 1990s as Italian restaurants proliferated worldwide. Tiramisù's genius is its simplicity and its complete dependence on the quality of its coffee: it requires no baking and no cooking of the cream, relying on freshly brewed, very strong espresso as its dominant flavour note, absorbed by savoiardi: the dry, finger-shaped Italian sponge biscuits whose crunch softens to a yielding tenderness within the mascarpone layers. The mascarpone cream is traditionally made from raw egg yolks whisked with sugar until pale and thick, then folded with whipped mascarpone and often a generous splash of Marsala wine or rum; raw eggs being a non-negotiable part of the original's richness and character, though pasteurised alternatives exist for the food-safety-conscious.
For the food-safety-conscious (pregnant women, elderly guests, young children): the raw egg yolks can be replaced with a zabaione made by whisking the yolks and sugar over a bain-marie until the mixture reaches 70°C (158°F), then cooling before proceeding. Commercial pasteurised liquid egg yolks are also a straightforward substitute. Tiramisù keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days, covered tightly with cling film; the flavour and texture often improve on days 2 and 3 as the espresso permeates more deeply. Do not freeze. The quality of the espresso is the single most important ingredient; use freshly brewed, good-quality coffee. Instant coffee is not a substitute.
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