Zuppa inglese

Regardless of its name, Zuppa inglese is a traditional Italian dessert invented many centuries ago.

It was in fact first made in the 16th century at the Este court in Ferrara.

According to tradition, the Zuppa inglese was invented by the court's cooks when a diplomat from Ferrara who had just come back from London asked for a trifle, a dessert made by soft cake, cream and paired with wine.

The cooks could not find all the original ingredients, so they replaced them with what they had, like Pan di Spagna and custard, adding Alchermes liquor to make it colorful. Chocolate was probably added in the recipe later on.

That is how Zuppa inglese was invented and with time it became traditionally italian. In fact it was added in Pellegrino Artusi's book “La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiar bene” (page 421), considered to be the founding document of modern italian cuisine.