“Il papà di Tiramisù”, Ado Campeol, has died aged 93. Owner of the Alle Beccherie restaurant in Treviso, where the famous dessert was invented in 1969.
Sometimes, fate takes a hand. The dessert was a happy happenstance when some mascarpone found its way into the egg and sugar mix for vanilla ice cream.
Initially, they served the mixture on coffee-soaked savoiardi biscuits. After Ado’s wife, Alba Di Pillo, perfected the recipe with chef Roberto Linguanotto, Tiramisú came into being.
Where does the name come from?
Christened “Tirame Sù” (which translates as “pick me up”), the dish became part of the restaurant menu in 1972.
In his Veneto column, gourmet Giuseppe Maffioli wrote about tiramisù. He identified Campeol and Le Beccherie as the source of the then little-known dessert.
Over the years, the dessert underwent a few variations as the Campeol family did not patent the recipe.
Battle over ‘ownership’ of Tiramisù
The success of the dessert gave rise to a commercial battle over its paternity. IThe regions of Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto particularly claimed ownership.
However, the Tiramisù Academy, is “almost certain” the origins are at the Alle Beccherie in Treviso.
The governor of the Veneto Region, Luca Zaia, expressed his condolences to the Campeol family on Saturday, saying: “Treviso loses another star in its food and wine history.”
