Renaissance Italy · Italy
Catherine de' Medici's Zabaione
From Opera dell'arte del cucinare · Bartolomeo Scappi · 1570
Verified from original source
A Renaissance egg custard beaten with sweet wine, predecessor to modern zabaglione.
History
Zabaione (or zabaglione) is a frothy Italian custard of egg yolks, sugar, and sweet wine, whisked over gentle heat. Though popularly attributed to Catherine de' Medici, no evidence links her directly to its invention. The dessert appears in Bartolomeo Scappi's 1570 *Opera*, where it's called 'zabajone', making it one of the earliest printed references. Its origins likely lie in northern Italy, possibly Piedmont or Emilia-Romagna. By the Renaissance, zabaione was enjoyed at aristocratic tables as a restorative and elegant dessert. It remains beloved today, served warm or chilled, sometimes over fruit or incorporated into modern desserts like tiramisu.
Sources
- Scappi, Bartolomeo. Opera dell'arte del cucinare. 1570.
- Riley, Gillian. The Oxford Companion to Italian Food. 2007.
- Faccioli, Emilio (ed.). L'arte della cucina in Italia. 1987.
- Davidson, Alan. The Oxford Companion to Food. 1999.
- Capatti, Alberto and Montanari, Massimo. Italian Cuisine: A Cultural History. 2003.
Serves
4
Prep
5m
Cook
10m
Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients
- · 6 egg yolks
- · 90 g caster sugar
- · 120 ml sweet Marsala wine
- · Pinch of ground cinnamon
Method
- 1
Combine egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl.
- 2
Place bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.
- 3
Beat continuously whilst gradually adding the wine.
- 4
Continue beating for 8-10 minutes until thick and tripled in volume.
- 5
Dust with cinnamon and serve immediately in glasses.
