After tiramisu, the Italian dessert with the most controversial origins is certainly Zuppa Inglese. And England has nothing (or almost nothing) to do with it: zuppa inglese is a very Italian dessert, particularly popular in Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and the rest of Central Italy. The classic recipe for Zuppa Inglese includes a layer of sponge cake or ladyfingers soaked in a liqueur of cocoa cream with another layer of sponge cake or ladyfingers and liqueur. Then another layer of custard – with or without chocolate chips. But there are many different variations!
The Ferrara story
The first to claim ownership of the recipe for Zuppa Inglese is Ferrara. It is said that the dessert was born in the sixteenth century at the court of the Estensi, as a reworking of the English trifle – hence the name. Initially, the chefs at court would have replaced bread dough with bracciatella, a sort of donut. Then, in the eighteenth century, sponge cake came into the picture – an ingredient with Italian-French origins, contrary to popular belief, and inspired by savoiardi (that are often used in our version of Zuppa Inglese, too). Over time, custard and chocolate would gradually replace cream in the recipe.
The Housekeeper of Florence
According to another thesis, Zuppa Inglese was born in the nineteenth century in Tuscany, thanks to the housekeeper of an English family living in Florence. The woman would have prepared a "soup" with the leftover biscuits softened in sweet wine, adding custard and chocolate pudding.
Alchermes, the oldest ingredient
What is the truth? Let's investigate. As Giovanni Ballarini of the Italian Academy of Cuisine notes, the presence of alchermes – and, in some cases, rosolio – "supports the Renaissance thesis, because they are both of medieval origin. Flower infusions were already very fashionable in the late Middle Ages. The incorporation of alchemers, on the other hand, probably followed the reopening of trade routes with the Arabs – from whom the ingredient that makes it red was imported: cochineal ("al quermez"). In the Renaissance, this ingredient was well-known and widely used, and maintained its importance until 1800, especially in Florence.” So we have arrived back to the story originating in Tuscany. This story is strengthened by the spread of alchemers throughout Central Italy at the time – most visible, for example, in the Umbrian version of the frappé.
The distinction of Artusi
However, Pellegrino Artusi, author of “La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiar bene,” makes a distinction between the Tuscan and Emilian recipes for Zuppa Inglese. "In Tuscany –where, due to the climate and also because they have accustomed their stomach to it, all foods feature a characteristic of lightness and the incorporation of liquid where possible – the cream is melted, without any starch or flour, and it was once served in coffee cups. This recipe is a successful one; it's authentic and more delicate, but it doesn't lend itself to Zuppa Inglese that you can put in a mold and it’s not as beautiful.” Artusi suggests that there is a substantial difference between the recipes for Crema Toscana and Zuppa Inglese. Perhaps because Tuscany is also the land of the Zuppa del Duca, an old Sienese dessert that some would even claim as the ancestor of both Zuppa Inglese and tiramisù!
Ballarini's thesis
Academian Giovanni Ballarini suggests we look for the origins of Zuppa Inglese in Emilia-Romagna. And, more precisely in Parma, at the court of Maria Luisa of Austria, towards the beginning of the nineteenth century. The court’s benefactor at the time was Vincenzo Agnoletti from Rome – who, perhaps under the influence of the old Tuscan-Emilian Renaissance recipes, developed the first Zuppa Inglese, where rum (the typical liqueur of English sailors), appeared among the ingredients. In his work titled “Manuale del cuoco e del pasticciere di raffinato gusto moderno” (1832), Agnoletti writes about Zuppa Inglese, saying that it should be prepared "like a marangone” – with the final touch of rum and meringue. But what is a marangone? Agnoletti elaborates: this is an old cake recipe originating in Mantua, the so-called Marangone alla Mantuana, which was prepared by soaking "nuns' biscuits" or sponge cake in wine or rosolio, and making several layers interspersed with almonds, pistachios and candied fruit and icing on top. "In addition to the wine and rosolio, you can vary the recipe with cream or some fruit jam.”
Influences of the Grand Dukes
The recipe for Agnoletti has become a very successful one – especially in Emilia-Romagna, but it is also very different from the current recipe, and the role of the cream still seems secondary here. But perhaps this aspect of the recipe has gotten stronger over time, especially when we consider the use of cream in the recipe in Florence and Tuscany (not the Crema Fiorentina, though, which is actually ice cream and anything but a recipe for cream). And then there was the introduction of the more "Tuscan" ingredient of alchemers. Zuppa Inglese must, therefore, be a Tuscan-Emilian recipe. It was born in Parma thanks to a Roman chef who was inspired by a Lombard dessert, and then it was modified under the influence of an older Tuscan recipe. And with ingredients born from Italian-French cuisine, such as Pan di Spagna (from Genoa) and Savoiardi (from Piedmont). In summary? Zuppa Inglese is more an Italian dessert than anything else! And there are so many versions of the classic dessert; for example, a well-known way to vary the recipe is between the use of sponge cake or ladyfingers, but there are also versions with alchemers, rosolio or rum! Then there are the recipes with fruit – especially strawberries as a final touch on top, or even recipes that call for ricotta cheese. When in doubt, it doesn’t matter! Let’s have a delicious cup of Zuppa Inglese!