Roberto "Loli" Linguanotto, popularly known as the co-creator of the tiramisu, has passed away. He died on July 28, 2024, at the age of 81. He worked at Le Beccherie, a restaurant in Treviso in northern Italy, which is considered by some to be the birthplace of the beloved Italian dessert. Although the exact origins of tiramisu are widely debated, many theories credit Chef Linguanotto and Alba di Pillo (the wife of the restaurant's owner) with the invention of what is now considered the classic version of tiramisu.
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Luca Zaia, President of Veneto Region, paid tribute to the chef on Instagram. He wrote, "I join in mourning for the passing of Roberto "Loli" Linguanotto, pastry chef who marked the breakthrough of the Trevigiana and Veneta pastry shop by rediscovering and relaunching tiramisu, a traditional product today of culinary excellence recognized worldwide. The credit for a success of such a scale also goes to his pastry mastery and his willingness to make our Venetian delicacy unique and inimitable. To his family and friends, as well as those who appreciated him, my closeness and sympathy goes to him." (Auto-translation)
According to the BBC, Chef Roberto Linguanotto revealed that this famous sweet treat was the result of an accident while making vanilla ice cream. After having dropped mascarpone cheese into a bowl of eggs and sugar, he told Alba about "the mixture's pleasant taste". The duo then added lady finger sponges soaked in coffee and sprinkled them with cocoa, the BBC article states.
According to the website of Le Beccherie, tiramisu was the result of a long period of experimentation by Alba and Chef Linguanotto in 1971 and 1972. Alba was first inspired to try making a dessert of sorts after tasting a delicious combination of zabaglione and coffee prepared by her mother-in-law. She then enlisted Chef Linguanotto to perfect the delicacy. The website also revealed that the original shape of Tiramisu at this restaurant was circular. (Read the complete recipe here).
As per reports, a 1981 issue of Veneto - a local food publication - carried the first official mention of tiramisu as we know it today. According to Gigi Padovani, a renowned Italian journalist and food writer, it was the Venetians who popularised the dessert around the world.
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