A PASTRY chef widely regarded as the inventor of tiramisu has died aged 81.
Roberto “Loli” Linguanotto passed away yesterday after a long illness.
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Loli’s name will always be connected with the decadent coffee-flavoured dessert tiramisu that emerged in the 1980s.
Linguanotto was a pastry chef at the renowned restaurant Le Beccherie in Treviso, Italy, when he invented it.
The coffee-flavoured pudding has a number of origin stories.
By one account, Linguanotto accidentally dropped mascarpone in a bowl of sugar and eggs.
Later, he and co-inventor Alba di Pillo-Campeol – wife of Le Beccherie owner Ado Campeol – added ladyfingers soaked in espresso.
The literal meaning of ‘tiramisu’ is ‘pick me up’ in Italian – perfect for a recipe with so much coffee in it.
Journalist Gigi Padovani, who became Linguanotto’s close friend, co-authored the book “Tiramisù” with his wife Clara.
He recalled: “In no time, that dessert became a staple at Le Beccherie.
“It was served on a round tray with ladyfingers soaked in coffee, and two layers of cream and mascarpone.
“A few years later, in 1983, the tiramisu recipe was published in a Treviso gastronomic magazine for the first time.
“Le Beccherie then took it to Venice and later spread it around the world.
“From the 1990s onwards, the dessert became famous everywhere.”
Linguanotto was reportedly very popular among his colleagues despite being shy and reserved.
He spent many years working abroad before returning to his native Veneto region.
The region’s president Luca Zaia said: “I join in mourning the passing of Roberto Linguanotto, who made a significant impact in the world of pastry.
“Today, tiramisu is a globally recognised culinary excellence.
“Much of its success is due to his skill as a pastry chef and his dedication to making our Venetian delicacy unique and inimitable.
“He elevated tiramisu to the forefront of both national and international desserts.”
Other competing claims to the invention of the dessert come from a 19th-century Treviso brothel madam and even Siena in the 17th century in honour of Grand Duke.
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