Roberto Linguanotto has died: the story of how he invented tiramisu, a symbolic recipe of Italian cuisine

Originally it was the Tiramesu: only one vowel separated it from the Tiramisu, one of the most famous and iconic recipes in Italian cuisinenot only among desserts. It was the Seventies and, say the experts in the history of gastronomy, Roberto Tonguenotto – a Venetian pastry chef who just passed away at 81 – put his signature on what would become a small culinary legend. Much more than a dessert, very different from a comfort food: the tiramisu, recipe Italian among the most popular abroadbut also the sweet of daily indulgence, the one of which each family has its own personal version. Often mistreated in variations that do not do it justice, temporarily downgraded to a low-level pizzeria dessert, tiramisu is instead a gigantic heritage, with an interesting story, which has its roots in Treviso.

To invent it in its contemporary version – the one with ladyfingers soaked in coffee, mascarpone cream and a generous sprinkling of bitter cocoa to cover everything – it was precisely Roberto Linguanotto, known as «Loly», a pastry chef from Treviso at the beginning of his career, who at the time had just started working in a historic restaurant in the city centre, Le Beccherie. At least, this is the most accredited story of how modern tiramisu was born, an evolution of that Venetian tradition that wanted zabaglione mixed with coffee, whipped cream and with Baicoli, those fragrant and slightly dry biscuits (which is why they were dunked in coffee) typical of the Veneto region, sold in classic yellow tins which today would be a beautiful vintage-looking container.

“I immediately worked side by side with the owner, Mrs. Alba Campeol, who invited me to try new dessert combinations with simplicity and in compliance with the Treviso tradition,” Linguanotto explained, proudly recounting the origins of Tiramisu. “In the kitchen, we always discussed proposing desserts that could be enjoyed by everyone, children and adults. And so one day, putting together known and simple elements and seeking the best “portionability”, tiramisu was born: the belief of having guessed a perfect dessert was given by the large quantity of portions served, but above all by the many who always asked for “seconds”.”

The dessert – Linguanotto said – was originally supposed to be an ice cream, a sort of cooler variant of zabaglione. And there are those who say that was actually intended to “pick up” and energize the customers of a nearby brothel. Whatever happened, tiramisu has remained the cult dessert of the Beccherie, where it is prepared with the same recipe as in the past, that of Roberto Linguanotto. For his passing, the president of the Veneto Region Luca Zaia also expressed his condolences, recalling his contribution to the local and national gastronomic tradition. “Today, tiramisu is a culinary excellence recognized throughout the world and the credit for such a success also goes to his mastery as a pastry chef and his desire to make our Venetian delicacy unique and inimitable,” wrote Zaia on social media.