THE ORIGIN OF TIRAMISÙ: "FACT AND LEGEND". ⋆ Accademia Del Tiramisù (2024)

The word Tiramisù literally means “pick me up”. It comes from the Treviso dialect, “Tireme su”, Italianised into Tiramisù in the latter half of the 20th century.Historical records state that Tiramisù originated in Treviso in 1800.It is said that this dessert was invented by a clever “maitresse” of a house of pleasure in the centre of Treviso.

The “Siora” who ran the premises developed this aphrodisiac dessert to offer to customers at the end of the evening in order to reinvigorate them and solve the problems they may have had with their conjugal duties on their return to their wives.

This would seem to be the origin of the Tiremesù, a natural Viagra from the 19th century, served to customers in a brothel.

In the centre of Treviso, an old inn of the period, the modern-day Le Beccherie restaurant added this dessert to its menu.

To support this legendary story, we have the ingredients of the Tiramisù, all nourishing and full of calories: eggs, sugars, lady finger biscuits, mascarpone, coffee and cocoa.

Over the centuries, a veil of popular prudery hid the true origins of Tiramisù. In fact it is not mentioned in books until the 1980s.

Evidence of the presence of this dessert over the last centuries, on the lavish tables of home is given by our grandmothers and great-grandmothers. These ladies over the age of 80 tell us of the skill and passion they put into the preparation of this dessert for family and friends. Before electricity was widely available, along with the early refrigerators, this dessert, which does not keep for long, was only eaten and known of in the province of Treviso and the surrounding areas.

Some particular aspects passed down orally are unmistakable proof of the Veneto and Treviso origins of this dessert. The recipe comes from the “sbatudin”, a mix of egg yolk beaten together with sugar and commonly used by Treviso farmers as a restorative for newly-weds.

Treviso writer Giovanni Comisso (1895-1969) was a scholar and also the most expert witness for the Tiramisù recipe. Poet Giovanni Comisso wrote in his memoirs and told even his closest friends how his grandmother, Giuseppina, a descendent of Count Odoardo Tiretta, was a lover of Tiramisù, or as she called it, “Tirame-sospiro-sù”, and she would often eat it for dinner in the winter. These historic memories tell us that the recipe and dessert were well known in Treviso as far back as 1800.

As often happens in legends, there are various elements of truth: Tiramisù originates from Treviso, in Italy.

The word Tiramisù literally means “pick me up”. It comes from the Treviso dialect, “Tireme su”, Italianised into Tiramisù in the latter half of the 20th century.Historical records state that Tiramisù originated in Treviso in 1800.It is said that this dessert was invented by a clever “maitresse” of a house of pleasure in the centre of Treviso.

The “Siora” who ran the premises developed this aphrodisiac dessert to offer to customers at the end of the evening in order to reinvigorate them and solve the problems they may have had with their conjugal duties on their return to their wives.

This would seem to be the origin of the Tiremesù, a natural Viagra from the 19th century, served to customers in a brothel.

In the centre of Treviso, an old inn of the period, the modern-day Le Beccherie restaurant added this dessert to its menu.

To support this legendary story, we have the ingredients of the Tiramisù, all nourishing and full of calories: eggs, sugars, lady finger biscuits, mascarpone, coffee and cocoa.

Over the centuries, a veil of popular prudery hid the true origins of Tiramisù. In fact it is not mentioned in books until the 1980s.

Evidence of the presence of this dessert over the last centuries, on the lavish tables of home is given by our grandmothers and great-grandmothers. These ladies over the age of 80 tell us of the skill and passion they put into the preparation of this dessert for family and friends. Before electricity was widely available, along with the early refrigerators, this dessert, which does not keep for long, was only eaten and known of in the province of Treviso and the surrounding areas.

Some particular aspects passed down orally are unmistakable proof of the Veneto and Treviso origins of this dessert. The recipe comes from the “sbatudin”, a mix of egg yolk beaten together with sugar and commonly used by Treviso farmers as a restorative for newly-weds.

Treviso writer Giovanni Comisso (1895-1969) was a scholar and also the most expert witness for the Tiramisù recipe. Poet Giovanni Comisso wrote in his memoirs and told even his closest friends how his grandmother, Giuseppina, a descendent of Count Odoardo Tiretta, was a lover of Tiramisù, or as she called it, “Tirame-sospiro-sù”, and she would often eat it for dinner in the winter. These historic memories tell us that the recipe and dessert were well known in Treviso as far back as 1800.

As often happens in legends, there are various elements of truth: Tiramisù originates from Treviso, in Italy.

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