Pastry chef who invented tiramisu dessert dies at 81 after long illness
Roberto ‘Loli’ Linguanotto, the Italian pastry chef credited with inventing the iconic tiramisu dessert, died on Sunday at the age of 81.
Linguanotto, who is also called the ‘father of tiramisu’, died in Italy after a long battle with an unknown illness.
The famous pastry chef created the culinary classic in the early 1970s while working at Alle Beccherie, a renowned restaurant in Treviso, northern Italy.
There are several stories about the origins of this sweet treat, including the story that Linguanotto accidentally dropped mascarpone into a bowl of sugar and eggs.
According to locals, Linguanotto perfected the recipe for the coffee dessert with the help of Alba di Pillo-Campeol, the wife of Ado Campeol, owner of Alle Beccherie.
Roberto Linguanotto, nicknamed the “father of tiramisu,” died in Italy after a long battle with an unspecified illness
The famous pastry chef created the culinary classic in the early 1970s while working at Alle Beccherie, a renowned restaurant in Treviso, northern Italy. Pictured: Roberto ‘Loli’ Linguanotto in the 1980s (right)
Later she is said to have added espresso-soaked ladyfingers to the dessert.
The dessert was made with just six ingredients: eggs, savoiardi, sugar, mascarpone, coffee and cocoa. Its name was originally called ‘Tirame Sù’, which literally means ‘pick me up’.
Journalist Gigi Padovani, who became a good friend of Linguanotto, wrote the book ‘Tiramisù’ together with his wife Clara.
He recalls: ‘In no time at all, that dessert became a permanent fixture at Le Beccherie.
‘It was served on a round tray with coffee-soaked ladyfingers and two layers of cream and mascarpone.
‘A few years later, in 1983, the recipe for tiramisu was first published in a gastronomic magazine in Treviso.
Le Beccherie then took it to Venice and later spread it all over the world.
‘Since the 1990s, the dessert became famous everywhere.’
Linguanotto was reportedly popular among his colleagues, despite his shyness and reserve.
He had worked abroad for several years before returning to his native Veneto.
According to a story about the origin of tiramisu, Linguanotto accidentally dropped mascarpone into a bowl of sugar and eggs
Linguanotto was reportedly very popular among his colleagues, despite being shy and reserved
The Governor of the Veneto Region, Luca Zaia, paid tribute to Linguanotto, saying: ‘I mourn the passing of Roberto Linguanotto, who had a great impact on the world of pastry.
‘Today, tiramisù is a culinary masterpiece recognized all over the world. Its success is also due to (Linguanotto’s) mastery as a pastry chef and his desire to make our Venetian delicacy unique and inimitable, which sets tiramisù apart from other national and international desserts’.
Francesco Redi, organizer of the Tiramisù World Cup, also paid tribute to the late chef.
He said: ‘We remember him with affection and with the gentleness that always characterized him.
“He and his family have supported us from the beginning and we are grateful to him, because without his invention this worldwide movement for tiramisu lovers would not exist.”
Other competing claims for the dessert’s invention come from a brothel madam in Treviso in the 19th century and even from Siena in the 17th century in honor of the Grand Duke.