What's Your Favorite Italian Dessert?

[pralinelemons]

I've visited Italy for a short time last year. Aside from the gelatos that I was able to eat almost everyday, Tiramisu caught my attention. I did not eat it as often as gelatos, but the creamy texture and strong caffeine taste (at least for my taste buds) sure made it one of my favorites! What's yours?

 

[Onionman]

I'm only really familiar with Tiramasu and gelatos like yourself. But that's more because I've eaten them outside of Italy. I'm sure I've missed out on a lot of very good desserts that are more regularly eaten in Italy.

 

[megankl]

My favorite Italian desert would definitely have to be Gelatos! I absolutely loved them before visiting Italy and I loved them 10x more after having one while visitng Italy! They are my all time favorite dessert and my mom knows that's what my dessert is every year on my birthday

 

[Hermann]

Macedonia with a splash of amaro.
Or chocolate salame with a glass of cold barolo chinato.

 

[Rosie]

Oh.. there are too many to choose just one!

First of all, duuh.. Tiramisu! It's also the most famous Italian dessert, I think. There's also a cute word game related to it, it goes like this: tiramisu -> tirami su ->means 'pick me up'

Ok... another great Italian 'dolce' is the Bombolone. It's more of a morning treat, rather than a dessert... everyone who comes to Italy absolutely must try it! It's sort of a doughnut filled with cream, chocolate, jam... and it's huge! No wonder it's called a 'bomb'.

The Cannolo is also one of my favorites. It originates from Sicily, but you can find it everywhere in Italy. It's a tube-shaped fried pastry dough, filled with sweet ricotta filling. You can find these in supermarkets too, for a lower price, but pastry shops make it sooo much better!

The Torrone is also yum-yum-good it's basically chocolate with more chocolate, nuts and then some more chocolate

Last but not least, I also enjoy the crostata. It's a tart, with chocolate or jam filling. Very good! Definitely worth trying out.

 

[Pessel]

I don't know why we compare desserts. So many choices to choose from. The ones I look forward to tasting are the ones made with pasta, though. I saw this young lady showing how to create a dessert made with pasta on TV, I though it was April's fool. But apparently it was a tradition from the previous generations being shared. The pasta is filled with creamy filling, jam and fruit, and then fried in low heat for a deep fried result.

If you ask me, I think pastries and ice cream makes the best desserts. Something crispy, something creamy, and something crusty.

 

[Onionman]

I've just remembered another one I've had. It's like a really big cake with currants and sultanas, I think. It's traditionally had at Christmas (which is why I've suddenly remembered it now!). Does anyone have a name for it?

 

[Hermann]

Panettone.

 

[twinsmommy31]

I love Cannolis. The sweet cream inside of a tasty fried tube of pastry. If anyone hasn't tried these, you should. I never knew ricotta could be so sweet and creamy.

 

[Snowy_Flake]

Hands down, Gelato is my favorite desert (although, please don't punish me here for saying this, but it is true, the best Gelato I've had in Europe was actually in Belgrade, not in Italy!). In Padova, at the end of the pedestrian zone, there is this traditional ice cream place, where you don't see the ice cream on display, but they'll let you try as many flavors as you want - and the texture is just heavenly! Ask anybody in town for the best ice cream place, and they'll send you there!
Other than gelatti I also enjoyed the Canoli they make in the south of Italy (I believe in the US you can also get them in Little Italy in NYC), they were sooo delicious! But since it is just too hot for heavy deserts during the day, I mostly just went with ice cream!

 

[Onionman]

Panettone.

That's it! Thanks. My ex-housemate's friend that lived in Milan used to come over every Christmas with her Italian boyfriend. They used to bring panettone each time. But they also made a traditional dish of pigs' trotters stuffed with lentils, if I'm not mistaken. A taste of Italy every Christmas!

 

[Hermann]

Pandoro and Panettone are the Christmas and New Year's Eve desserts in Italy.

They are good as they are, but you can spread gelato over your slice, or nutella, zabaglione, hot chocolate, whatever.
Or you can dip in spumante, or vin santo, or the cup of coffee at the end of dinner.

On new year's eve is common use to dip Pandoro in your spumante glass after toasting.

 

[Rosie]

Can't believe I forgot about the gelato and about the panettone!

My favorite gelato is Nutella gelato! It's finger licking good! You guys just have to try it, it's so tasty it should be illegal lol
Many people think that the Nutella gelato is simply chocolate cream.. but it's not, it's real gelato, made with the cream chocolate of course, and it's very different from the classic chocolate gelato kind.

Regarding the panettone, I usually prefer the ones with chocolate cream filling. They're usually more soft too, as opposed to the ones with candied fruit. But those are tasty too.
In the past few years, they have tried to imitate the panettone in my country too (although we already have traditional Christmas sweets! What can I say, we're like monkeys imitating everything), but it's just not the same. I've tried it, even bought one "made in Italy", but no, as usual nothing tastes the same as the genuine Italian products

 

[Onionman]

Pandoro and Panettone are the Christmas and New Year's Eve desserts in Italy.

They are good as they are, but you can spread gelato over your slice, or nutella, zabaglione, hot chocolate, whatever.
Or you can dip in spumante, or vin santo, or the cup of coffee at the end of dinner.

On new year's eve is common use to dip Pandoro in your spumante glass after toasting.

I recognize it now! Fond memories of it. We used to have it either by itself or with nutella. I might try to recreate it again this Christmas now that it's back in my consciousness.

 

[Snowy_Flake]

I LOVE panetones, one of my mom's friends is Italian and she always brought one back from Italy for us as Christmas gift (good times!). Did you know that they are also pretty popular in South America? I am not sure how and when they arrived there, but especially in Peru it is a big tradition to have a Paneton on Christmas day!

 

[batgirl]

Panettones instantly remind me of Christmas! I love tiramisu if it is made well - the contrasting cream cheese and strong coffee is a wonderful combination, but unfortunately a lot of places (here at least) serve very mediocre versions of it. I think they use instant coffee rather than proper espresso

I saw someone making a lemon one with limoncello liqueur on TV the other day - I imagine that could be nice, perhaps a lighter summer version.

 

[Snowy_Flake]

That's what I am talking about! I doesn't seem that hard to make, really. But it's CRUCIAL to have good lemons! And obviously you have to make sure that the rinds weren't treated with pesticides!

 

[Pessel]

Wow the Pandoro and Panettone look just like the bread my parents used to get us when we were children. We grew up with cakes and learning how clowns weren't meant to be scary. When there were events, we'd eat the cake and have clowns around. So to me, where there are those cakes, there are bound to be clowns. It's like a minimal pair. Sometimes there would also be complimentary balloons the shape of animals, like red fish, etc.

 

[dariofr8]

It has to be panna cotta! I have a story, actually: some years ago I phoned my grandma to ask her how to make panna cotta. It turned out wonderfully, but in the heat of the moment I kinda lost track of quantities...
"Ok, grandson, now pour the panna cotta into the molds, it should fill about 12"
"Tw... what? I only have one! And it's a bowl, actually..."

So there I was, eating a pound of panna cotta on my own while watching TV. I'd do it again.

 

[Ciera LaShae]

My favorite Italian dessert is Tiramisu. Its warm, delicious, and melts in my mouth. I have never been a fan of it until I tried it in Italy and now I order it just about every time I go out to eat. I love that the coffee flavor is subtle and works so well with all of the other flavors.