Creator of Tiramisu, Roberto Linguanotto, passes away at the age of 81

Dubbed the 'father of Tiramisu', Roberto 'Loli' Linguanotto, took his last breath on Sunday in Italy after battling an unspecified, long-time illness

Popular Italian pastry chef, Roberto Linguanotto, who is believed to have invented the globally popular dessert Tiramisu, passed away at the age of 81, on Sunday. 

While working at the famed Le Beccherie, a restaurant based in Italy's Treviso, he worked with Alba Campeol, the wife of the restaurant's owner Ado Campeol, to create Tiramisu, which later became popular across the world.

The discovery of Tiramisu was an accident as he inadvertently mixed mascarpone cheese with egg yolks and sugar while preparing vanilla ice cream. Both Linguanotto and Campeol recognised the potential of that creamy texture and further co-experienced adding coffee-soaked ladyfingers to it. Then the mixture was given a final touch-up with cocoa powder and this is how Tiramisu was born. This dessert first appeared on Le Beccherie's menu in 1972 and became an instant hit among the food connoisseurs.  

There is much heated debate on its origins, but the most credit for Tiramisu is attributed to Linguanotto and Alba Di Pillo, who managed Alle Beccherie with her husband Ado Campeo, however, both passed away in 2021. After some years, the dessert has become a global favourite. 

Gigi Padovani, a journalist and close friend of Roberto's close friend, has written a book called 'Tiramisu' with his wife, Clara. While speaking to The Sun, Padovani said, “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 a shy and reserved person, still, he was popular among his colleagues. He worked across the world before returning to his native Veneto Region.

Veneto Region president joined the mourning

The president of Veneto Region, Luca Zaia, also joined the mourning for Roberto Linguanotto. “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," Luca Zaia said.