The history of Italy’s desserts is very fascinating and old. Modern casual diners and culinary experts alike love to partake in a variety of rich and delicious Italian desserts, but few know how those desserts came about. For any aspiring chef, learning about this type of dessert will spark the imagination and motivate them to engage in the art of cooking with newfound passsion.
Italy’s First Desserts
Many experts believe that the first desserts were breaded sweets. While sugar was too expensive for many people to have, recipes included natural sweetening foods, such as fruit and honey. One of the most well known desserts that arose from such tradition was the panforte, whose earliest origins can be traced to Siena. This early version was much less heavy than the contemporary one, but ultimately led to the modern innovation as tastes advanced. Biscotti, which many people know as a gourmet dessert, also originated in early medieval Italy. Much like with all food at the time, the early version of biscotti was much simpler and included fewer ingredients.
When Sugar Became Readily Available
Slowly, as more and more sugar became readily available as a household item, more and more people were able to enjoy a wider variety of dessert innovations. Many believe that Italy’s most famous dessert, the delicious tiramisu, had originated in the 1500s. Historians believe that this dessert was first introduced to Duke Cosimo de Medici, who had enjoyed it so much that he helped spread its popularity. Whether or not this was the exact origin of the dessert, it is a clear indicator of how available sugar had become in most modern households. Had sugar not become so quickly available, this dessert would have taken much longer to develop. Many other desserts that many believe had originated during this time period are also panna cotta, cheesecake, and cream puffs.
Italy Has So Many Wonderful Desserts, It’s Hard To Name Them All. Luckily Pictures Are Worth A Thousand Words, So Check Out The Delicious Gallery Below:
More and more culinary developments resulted in more and more delicious desserts being created for so many people to enjoy. It is thanks to such early innovations that most modern Italian desserts exist as we know and love them now. With creativity on the rise, the future for culinary developments is a bright one.
Would You Like To See More About Italian Desserts? Come Explore Turin, Italy’s Chocolate Capital:
Italian Home Kitchen Blog 
This is amazing!!
Good Lord in heaven, I want ALL of them!
Tiramisu is a favourite of mine though they vary so much both throughout Italy and the rest of the world! Getting the balance right is hugely important because that provides the texture. My favourite tiramisu memory is in a tiny Northern Italian town of Monno at a restaurant overlooking the alps where we were (through my wife’s Italian family) guests of honour. It was probably a sixth of the town there and even though we can’t speak Italian we all had one thing in common – love of food, wine and good company!
Well done!
I am so glad I have a sweet tooth…Italy sounds perfect for me!
You had me at chocolate. Hah!
My Zia makes the best cannoli ever, I don’t think I will ever be able to make them as delicious as she does!
And I really like your blog, great tips!
Reblogged this on Food World Tips and Tricks.
The wicked chicken said it all – I couldn’t agree more (salivating)