Photography: Miele

For a long time, debate has raged in Italy as to the cult dessert’s true origins. Several regions claim to have invented the dish, holding up the ingredients used as evidence. Those hailing from Piedmont point out that savoiardi – lady finger biscuits – are essential to a proper Tiramisu, while in Lombardy, they highlight the fact that locallyproduced mascarpone, a double cream fresh cheese, is a key ingredient.

Venice and Tuscany also lay claim to the dish, not to mention the Romans… Regardless of these local rivalries, however, concrete evidence can be used to chart its history, and much of it points towards 17th century Siena.

The dessert is said to have been created in honour of the visit of Cosimo de Medici III, who from 1670 was a Grand Duke of Tuscany, and was named the Zuppa del duca (‘soup of the duke’).

However, it would be several centuries before tiramisu began to find global fame, its launch pad widely credited as the refined version that appeared in the 1960s on the El Toulà menu in Treviso, Veneto.

Here you can find a delicious recipe for Tiramisu.