The name “tiramisù” translates into “pick-me-up”. The name means ‘a pick me up’, referring to the two caffeinated ingredients that are present in the dish, espresso and cocoa.
There is some controversy over where and when the dish was created. Whatever its origins might be, what we now consider traditional tiramisù uses the same key ingredients. Traditional tiramisù begins with Savoiardi lady fingers, which are light and sweet sponge cake biscuits. These biscuits have a long standing heritage in Italian Cuisine. When making tiramisù, the Savoiardi are soaked in a mixture of espresso and sugar. The crunchy biscuits become soft once the espresso mixture is added. Next, a layer of cream made with eggs and mascarpone cheese. You complete the dish by sprinkling on the top a layer of cocoa powder.
If you want to taste Italian Tiramisù and learn how to prepare it come to the Italian School of Cooking for our cookery class “Pasta, pizza & tiramisù”.