English Soup

     Having a similarity to Tiramisu, Zuppa Inglese is another wonderful Italian dessert.   The name can be misleading, it is not  English Soup as the literal translation from Italian might suggest but rather a layered dessert incorporating custard, sponge cake and chocolate into something quite similar to an English trifle.

     The confusion with the name seems to lie with the use of the word zuppa, thought by some to be a shortened version of  inzuppore meaning "to dunk or sop."  Of Tuscan origin dating back to the 17th Century it continues to be a homemade dessert with sponge cake being dipped in Alchermes, an aromatic Italian herb liqueur and layered with custard.  Over the years the substitution of rum or Chambourd has been made.  The chilled layered dessert is often topped with chocolate and/or bordered with piped vanilla cream.


     Our group was treated to Fonzie's version of this sweet creation during our stay at Il Faeto in San Donato.