In 1972, Roberto Linguanotto created Tiramisu by accident. His serendipitous kitchen mishap led to a beloved treat enjoyed around the world.
Roberto Linguanotto anted to make vanilla gelato when he accidentally dropped mascarpone into the egg and sugar mixture. The rest is dessert history. The pastry chef from Treviso was working in Aldo Campeol's restaurant Le Becchiere when his mishap helped him achieve culinary world fame. His legacy can be found on almost every restaurant menu for half a century: "Tiramisu", which means "pull up" in German, is said to mean "refresh me" or "give me strength" in the region. The high caloric nutritional value was intended to provide connoisseurs with quick energy.
Three years after the death of his former employer Campeol, Linguanotto passed away last weekend in Treviso at the age of 81.
Iconic recipe
The original recipe is based on sponge cakes dipped in coffee and rum, layered with the sweet mascarpone mixture and topped with cocoa. The popular recipe now has its own public holiday, on March 17. More than 50 years after its invention, tiramisu is still extremely popular. Last year, a survey found that eight out of ten Italians prefer to order tiramisu as a dessert.
