Giada Valenti: From Venice With Love: Did you know Tiramisu has rejuvenating and aphrodisiac properties?

Today is the First Day Spring and Tiramisu Day. Well Spring has not arrived yet in most places, in the United States and neither in Italy or Europe. Snow on the East Coast and rain on the West. But let’s keep positive it will soon be here. For sure here is Tiramisu Day, the most famous dessert of Italy and my favorite.

There are several legends about the birth of the tiramisu, and the Italian regions competing to be proclaimed the place of origin of this cake are Friuli Venezia Giulia, Piedmont and Tuscany.

The region of Piedmont claims it was made first by a Turinese chef to support Camillo Benso Count of Cavour while performing his work of Italy ‘s reunification.
The region of Tuscany stated that he was invented around 1600 during the visit of Cosimo III de ‘Medici in Siena. In honor of the Grand Duke, a pastry chef made a cake that reflected its personality: the “zuppa del Duca” a delicious and important sweet made with simple ingredients.
The region Friuli Venezia Giulia believes that the dessert was born in Tolmezzo, invented in the restaurant of Hotel Roma where a Chef called Pinelli inspired by the famous dessert "Dolce Torino” by the chef Artusi, made originally with Savoyards, butter, chocolate, egg red, milk, decided to replace the butter with the mascarpone and soaked the savoiardi in coffee.

4. The Veneto region claims the birth place of the “tiramesù” (in Venetian dialect) is city of Treviso, where in the late 1960s at the restaurant “Alle Beccherie” the pastry maker Roberto Linguanotto made it for the first time. The success was so loud that it was spread throughout the Veneto region.

The only certainty is:

The name of this cake comes from the Venetian dialect “Tirame su” (later Italianate into tiramisu), that translate in English as “pick me up". The name seems to date back to the custom of serving this delicious cake as a present in some brothels in the region. The mix of energizing ingredients which has always characterized this cake, was believed to give energy and to have rejuvenating and aphrodisiac properties.

For the best results use the best ingredients you can find. Don’t go for cheap ingredients, go for authentic brands. This will make you already "a better chef”.- Giada

In occasion of Tiramisu Day and thanks to the support of the Galbani Cheeses, I will give away for the whole week a wonderful booklet with 5 Tiramisu recipes. The original of course and 4 variation I love : Green Tea, Limoncello, Hazelnut Cocao Spread (perfect for kids with no eggs and alcohol) and Thes Leches.