Zuppa Inglese

Zuppa Inglese

Italian custard based dessert
Course	Dessert
Place of origin	Italy
Region or state	Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Toscana, Lazio, Umbria
Serving temperature	Cold
Main ingredients	Sponge cake or savoiardi, Alchermes, custard
Variations	Tiramisu

Zuppa Inglese (pronounced [ˈdzuppa iŋˈɡleːze; ˈtsuppa iŋˈɡleːse]; Italian for "English soup") is an Italian dessert layering custard and sponge cake, perhaps derived from trifle.

Recipes for this sweet first appeared in the regions Emilia-Romagna (in the towns of Parma, Bologna, Forlì, Ferrara, and Reggio Emilia), Marches, Umbria and Latium regions, in the late nineteenth century.

Its origins are uncertain and one theory states that it originated in the sixteenth century kitchens of the Dukes of Este, the rulers of Ferrara. According to this story, they asked their cooks to recreate the sumptuous "English trifle" they had enjoyed in England at the Elizabethan court, where they were frequent visitors.

To make Zuppa Inglese, sponge cake or ladyfingers are dipped in Alchermes, a bright red, extremely aromatic Italian herb liqueur. They are then alternated with layers of crema pasticciera, a thick egg custard cooked with a large piece of lemon zest (removed afterwards). Often there is also a layer of crema alla cioccolata made by dissolving dark chocolate in a plain crema pasticcera. In Italy it is occasionally topped with cream, meringue or almonds.