In an old handwritten recipe book in Sacile in the province of Pordenone, there was the formula of the ancestor of Tiramisu. The recipe book, which dates back to the years of the First World War, was given on her wedding day in the 1950s to a girl from Sacile who passed away last year. But a granddaughter recovered it and on the eve of Tiramisu Day, the day that around the world pays homage to the famous Italian dessert, the organizers of the Tiramisu World Cup made it known with a film in which the granddaughter shows the old recipe book and explains its history.
The recipe for a Dolce Livenza that was practically made with the same ingredients as tiramisu
“My name is Sandra Micheletto, I was born in Sacile in 1929 and I have more or less always lived here. These are two books that come to me, one from my old family and one made when I got married where some recipes are collected, because in my time there weren’t so many recipe books, especially since there was no TV there were no food shows and a girl, when she got married, brought with her a wealth of recipes adding new ones. In this recipe book there are also those of my mother’s mother-in-law, Catina, who had a restaurant in the square in Sacile in the first world cup and she reported the recipe for a Dolce Livenza. Once I leafed through it I saw that it was practically with the same components as the famous tiramisu that in Veneto they compete for as a trademark. But instead of mascarpone which I imagine was not easy to find in those days, she used whipped cream for the rest exactly the same. I also know that another restaurant in Sacile in the square, an old famous restaurant called Da Sfriso, also there they used to make this sweet Livenza which was exactly like my grandmother's recipe."
Compared to the recipe celebrated throughout the world, they explain organizers of the Tiramisu World Cup, the one of the “ancestor” includes doses and variations that we can still find in Tiramisu, exactly as it happens in every creation of the participants in the TWC (this year in Treviso from 9 to 12 October) and in every family in Italy and in the world.
The recipe in the 2025 cook-book with the best creations of the competitors of the Tiramisù World Cup, this year in Treviso from 9 to 12 October
So, instead of mascarpone, we find the use of whipped cream; sponge cake was preferred to the ladyfingers biscuit (still not very used in the area at the time). It was also suggested to add rum or cognac (today some use Marsala), although the original recipe does not call for any use of alcohol. There are some differences compared to how we know Tiramisu today, therefore, but they are variations that are still found in the habits of many lovers of the famous tricolor dessert.
"For us it was a real surprise, which emerged through the videos of VisitSacile - says Francesco Redi, creator and organizer of the Tiramisù World Cup, currently on tour in New York (USA) and Toronto (Canada) to celebrate Tiramisù Day, in collaboration with his partner Matilde Vicenzi -. What is shown in the video is the proof of a "predecessor" of Tiramisù, understood as we know it today in its original ingredients (eggs, sugar, mascarpone, ladyfingers, coffee and cocoa)".
«Not only that, it is a demonstration of how from many quarters (in the past) in all the kitchens of the houses recipes were made with the few ingredients that were available, just like eggs and sugar, which are the basis of Tiramisu – Redi comments again -. From there, the experiments and new creations with different derivations and interpretations. After all, as historian Alberto Grandi (former TWC judge) would say, “tradition is an innovation that has made it”». The recipe for the “ancestor” of Tiramisu is part of the 2025 cook-book that contains the best creations of the TWC competitors. A digital copy can be downloaded at this link: https://tiramisuworldcup.com/cookbook/
