by Brian Alcamo

Ti-ra-mi-su. Four syllables. Six ingredients (on average). The iconic Italian dessert holds a special place in the hearts of many people. It’s a perfectly light treat for the end of a meal, and goes great with an espresso and some post-meal conversation. When you read a recipe for tiramisu, the list of ingredients doesn’t necessarily help to convey what the end result will taste like. For this reason, some have described it as having a “mutant flavor”. One ingredient you won’t need? Liquor. While the flavor might be mutant, that’s exactly why we like it.

Origins of Tiramisu

Tiramisu, like many other cultural staples, has a contested point of origin. While the sources of its beginnings are not as far as salsa’s, they are not entirely agreed upon. The narrowest point of origin that people can agree upon is Italia settentrionale, or Northern Italy. The regions where it most likely came from are Veneto, Friulia Venezia Giulia, or Piemonte.

(the regions Piemonte, Veneto, and Friulia Venezia Giulia are part of the larger Northern Italy)

A Sentence with No Spaces

The origin of the word tiramisu comes from a strung-together Italian sentence. Tirami su.

Tirare means to toss or throw, mi is the direct object pronoun “me,” and su means above or over. Tirare is conjugated in the imperative mood, which allows the speaker to place the direct object pronoun after the verb instead of before it.

The whole sentence (and now word) translates to “Pick me up,” which might have to do with the caffeine content of a key ingredient. 

Originally, though, the word wasn’t Italian at all. At least, not the Standard Italian that many of us at JP Linguistics know, love, and study. Many people credit its beginnings to the city of Treviso in Veneto, a region in Northern Italy (Venice’s region). In the Treviso regional language the word was “tireme su.”

Our Simple Tiramisu Recipe

Didn’t get a chance to tune into our Live Workshop with TimeIn New York? That’s okay. We’ve got our recipe right here (certo in inglese e in italiano).

Ingredienti per 4-6 persone (Ingredients for 4-6 people)

• 4 uova intere (4 whole eggs)

•  300 gr. di zucchero bianco (1.5 c of white sugar)

•  500 gr. di mascarpone (2.5 c of mascarpone)

• 40/45 biscotti savoiardi (40/45 ladyfingers)

• 300 cc. di caffè amaro e forte lasciato raffreddare (1 ¼ c of chilled, strongly brewed coffee)

• 100 gr. di spolvero di cacao amaro (½ c of dark chocolate powder)

Procedimento (Instructions)

1. Preparare preventivamente il caffè e lasciarlo raffreddare.

   Prepare the coffee beforehand and let it cool.

2. Porre in una terrina 3 albumi di uovo e montarli a neve con un pizzico di sale. 

    Place 3 egg whites in a bowl and beat them stiff with a pinch of salt.

3. Con una frusta sbattere i 3 tuorli e l’uovo intero assieme allo zucchero quindi, aiutandosi con una spatola, aggiungere il mascarpone e mescolare piano piano dal basso verso l’alto fino a formare una crema.

   With a whisk, beat the 3 egg yolks and the whole egg together with the sugar then, with the help of a spatula, add the mascarpone cheese and stir slowly from bottom to top until it forms a cream.

4. Infine aggiungere gli albumi montati a neve e amalgamare il tutto mescolando sempre molto piano, dal basso verso l’alto, per non smontare la crema.

    Finally add the egg whites whipped to stiff peaks and mix everything, stirring always very slowly, from the bottom to the top, so as not to dismantle the cream.

5. Sul fondo piatto di una terrina o di una pirofila adagiare uno strato di savoiardi, inzuppati nel caffè, sgocciolati e leggermente spremuti con una forchetta per eliminare il liquido in eccesso. 

   On the flat bottom of a bowl or an ovenproof dish lay a layer of ladyfingers, soaked in coffee, drained and lightly squeezed with a fork to eliminate the excess liquid.

6. Sullo strato di savoiardi stendere uno strato pari alla metà della crema preparata. 

   On the layer of ladyfingers spread a layer equal to half of the prepared cream.

7. Quindi stendere sopra di essa un secondo strato di savoiardi, inzuppati e trattati come i precedenti. 

   Then spread a second layer of ladyfingers on top of it, soaked and treated like the previous ones.

8. Spalmare sopra la rimanente crema.

   Spread the remaining cream on top.

9. Riporre il dolce in frigorifero per 12 ore e gustarlo dopo averlo spolverato con il cacao amaro aiutandosi con un colino.

   Place the dessert in the refrigerator for 12 hours and enjoy it after sprinkling it with bitter cocoa using a sieve.

That’s all there is too it! Only a few ingredients, but a lot of "wrist work” (whisking, whipping, and sprinkling) and a lot of waiting will get you that delicious flavor that only comes from a properly made tiramisu. Now all you need is the limoncelo…

Grazie!

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(Thumbnail Photo by Vika Aleksandrova on Unsplash)