A culinary treasure remained hidden for over a century has finally been brought to light. While everyone discuss the origins of Tiramisu, a secret recipe kept in an old family recipe book could rewrite the history of the most famous Italian dessert in the world.
The revelation that changes everything
In Sacile, a small town in the province of Pordenone, there was already an extraordinarily similar dessert at the beginning of 1900. It was called “Dolce Livenza” and was prepared by Nonna Catina in his local tavern, delighting the palates of the lucky patrons who could taste it.
Her nephew Sandra Micheletto jealously preserved this centenary recipe, handed down for generations and noted in a precious family recipe book. A document that today represents a real historical testimony on the birth of what would become the most famous Italian dessert in the world.
The secret ingredients of the proto-tiramisu
The original recipe of Nonna Catina reveals ingredients surprisingly similar to those of modern tiramisu: sponge cake (instead of the ladyfingers), egg yolks whipped with sugar, sweetened coffee to soak, a generous sprinkling of cocoa and a touch of liqueur – cognac or rum to give character.
But here is the most significant difference: in an era in which mascarpone was not easily available, grandmother Catina used sweet cream or sometimes ricotta to create its velvety cream. An alternative that, far from being a fallback, gave the dessert a unique lightness and flavor.
From the “Sbatdin” to the confectionery masterpiece
Before even the sweet livery, the “Sbatdin” was prepared in the Treviso houses, a simple energy cream based on yolks and sugar. The grandmothers in the area enriched this basic preparation with coffee, liqueurs and cocoa, effectively creating the first embryo of what would become tiramisu.
Nonna Catina’s recipe represents the link between this homemade tradition and the stratified dessert that we know and love today. A culinary evolution that testifies to the ingenuity and creativity of Italian women of the beginning of the century, capable of transforming simple ingredients into real gastronomic works of art.
This discovery not only adds a fascinating chapter to the history of our confectionery tradition, but pays homage to all those grandmothers who, like catina, have contributed with their secret recipes to creating the Italian culinary heritage that the whole world envies us today.
