This is a list of Italian desserts and pastries. Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BCE. Italian desserts have been heavily influenced by cuisine from surrounding countries and those that have invaded Italy, such as Greece, Spain, Austria, and France. Italian cuisine is also influenced by the Mediterranean climate and agriculture.

Characteristics

Italy has an extremely diverse range of cuisines, due to the large amount of influences throughout its history. Peaches, lemons, and pears are popular fruits for recipes, as well as sweet cheeses, such as ricotta and marscapone.[1] Coffee, especially espresso, are integral to Italian culture and cuisine, and is featured frequently in dessert recipes, such as tiramisu. The usage of a cold dairy dessert, such as ice cream or gelato, was introduced to the Western world through Italy.[2]

Italian desserts

A

Name Image Description
Affogato
GT-Affogato-al-caffe.jpg
Espresso served with a scoop of ice cream
Angel wings
Listici.jpg
Fried dough shaped into ribbons and coated in powdered sugar

B

Name Image Description
Barbajada
Barbajada.jpg
Drink made from whipped chocolate, milk, and coffee
Baxin
Baxin.jpg
Sweet from Liguira, Italy utilizing anise seeds and flour
Biscotti
Chocolate Drizzled Biscottis.jpg
Italian biscuit, typically filled with nuts or dried fruit, or dipped in chocolate
Biscuit Tortoni
Maple bourbon ice cream (8927728129).jpg
Ice cream made from eggs and heavy cream, sometimes containing chopped cherries or topped with minced almonds or crumbled macaroons
Bombolone
Bomboloni con marmellata.jpg
Italian doughnut, filled with typically chocolate, cream, or jam
Bruttiboni
Brutti ma buoni.JPG
Biscuit made from almonds or hazelnuts
Budino
Griesmeelpudding met rode bessen saus.jpg
Pudding made from milk and egg custard, typically topped with a crust or whipped-cream topping

C

Name Image Description
Camporelli
Biscotti Camporelli.jpg
Ladyfinger-like biscuits made from sugar, flour, and eggs
Cannoli
Cannoli from Brocato
Rolled, crispy dough filled with ricotta cream
Cartocci
Kannoli Marsaxlokk Street Market.jpg
Filled fried dough pastry
Cassata
Cassata siciliana.jpg
Round sponge cake moistened with fruit juice
Cavallucci
Cavallucci (24190614015).jpg
Pastry made with anise, walnuts, candied fruits, coriander, and flour
Ciambella
Ciambella all
Ring-shaped cake made using flour, milk, sugar, and vanilla flavoring
Colomba di Pasqua
Colomba pasquale, edizione 2013 - ND0 4662 (8564331585).jpg
Confetti
La-Pone-Jordan-Almonds.jpg
Almonds covered in dyed, sugar coating
Crocetta of Caltanissetta
Crocette di Caltanissetta.jpg
Sweet pastry made from almonds, sugar, sweet lemon purée, oranges or other fruit, pistachio and icing sugar
Crostata
Crostata limone e zenzero 3.jpg
Baked tart or pie, hailing from Naples
Cucidati
Cuccidatti fig cookie.jpeg
Fig cookie with vanilla icing
Cupeta
Cupeta fresca.jpg
Dessert made from honey, dissolved sugar and diced almonds

F

Name Image Description
Frutta martorana
Frutta martorana pecten 0092.jpg
Imitation fruits made from marzipan

G

Name Image Description
Gelato
Gelato ice cream.jpg
Italian dessert similar to ice cream, thicker in consistency
Genoise
Génoise cake with buttercream frosting.jpg
Sponge cake made with melted butter whipped into the dough
Gianduja (chocolate)
Nougat stange aus jeibmann 150dpi.jpg
Chocolate made from hazelnut cream
Gianduiotto
Gianduiotti.jpg
Chocolate made from sugar, cocoa, and hazelnuts
Granita
Tris di granite.JPG
Italian ice dessert made from sugar, water and various flavorings


L

Name Image Description
Ladyfinger
Biskotten-02.jpg
Long biscuit, typically used in tiramisu

M

Name Image Description
Marron glacé
Marrons glacés.jpg
Chestnuts candied in sugar syrup
Marzipan
Badem ezmesi 2.JPG
Confection consisting primarily of sugar, honey, and almond meal
Mimosa cake
Le nostre torte (8937128050).jpg
Moist champagne sponge cake with a buttercream frosting
Mustacciuoli
Mostaccioli dalla campania.jpg
Pastry with a spiced, cake-like interior, covered in chocolate

N

Name Image Description
Neapolitan ice cream
Neapolitan.jpg
Ice cream featuring three flavors: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry
Nocciolini di Canzo
Nocciolini canzo.jpg
Sweet crumbly small cookies from Canzo, in northern Italy
Nutella
Nutella ak.jpg
Sweetened hazelnut spread

P

Name Image Description
Pandoro
Pandoro 3.jpg
Traditional Italian sweet bread in a star-like formation
Panettone
Panettone - Nicolettone 2017 - IMG 7085 (31752542285).jpg
Sweet bread featuring dried fruits and chocolate
Panforte
Panforte, Firenze.jpg
Chewy Italian dessert containing fruits and nuts
Panna cotta
Panna Cotta with caramel sauce.jpg
Italian dessert of sweetened cream thickened with gelatin and molded
Panpepato
Panpepato at a shop in San Gimignano.jpg
Round sweet bread with nuts and dried fruit
Pasticciotto
Pasticciotto galatina.jpg
Italian pastry filled with ricotta cheese and egg custard
Pastiera
Pastiera Napoletana.JPG
Neapolitan tart made with cooked wheat, eggs, ricotta cheese, and flavoured with orange flower water
Penuche
San Francisco Chocolate Store Chocolate Vanilla Fudge (27435934310).jpg
Fudge-like candy made from brown sugar, butter, and milk
Pignolata
Pignolata calabrese.jpg
Soft pastry, covered in chocolate and lemon-flavoured syrup or icing
Pinza
Macafame.jpg
Traditional dessert flan with pine nuts, dried figs, raisins, fennel seeds and grappa

R

Name Image Description
Rainbow cookie
Rainbow cookies .jpg
Three-layered almond-flavored Italian cookie
Ricciarelli
Ricciarelli from Siena-2.jpg
Traditional Italian biscuits – specifically, a type of macaroon

S

Name Image Description
Sanguinaccio dolce
Preparation gateau roule4.jpg
Italian pudding made from pig's blood which is made creamy and sweetened with ingredients such as chocolate, milk, pine nuts, and raisins
Semifreddo
Semifreddo dessert.jpg
Frozen dessert similar to ice cream, with the main ingredients being egg yolks, sugar, and cream.
Sfinge
Sfenj sprinkled with sugar and served on a plate.jpg
Doughnut sprinkled with powdered sugar
Sfogliatella
Sfogliatelle on plate.jpg
Shell-shaped cream-filled Italian pastry originating from Campania
Spumoni
Spumoni salentini.jpg
Molded gelato made with layers of different colors and flavors, usually containing candied fruits and nuts
Struffoli
Struffoli.JPG
Neapolitan dish made of deep fried balls of sweet dough
Sugoli
Sûg.jpg
Dessert pudding prepared with the must of red grapes, flour and sugar, cooked slowly and then left to cool

T

Name Image Description
Taralli
Taralli.jpg
Cracker similar to a breadstick--can be sweet or savory
Tartufo
Italian tartufo with rolled chocolate sticks.jpg
Gelato covered and filled with melted chocolate
Tiramisu
Classic Italian Tiramisu-3 (29989504485).jpg
Dessert made of ladyfingers dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar, and mascarpone cheese, flavoured with cocoa
Torrone
Turrón de Alicante (Casa Mira).jpg
Nougat made with honey, sugar, and whipped egg whites, then filled with roasted pistachios and almonds
Torta Barozzi
Torta Barozzi.jpg
Thin, crispy cake made from chocolate and coffee
Torta caprese
Torta caprese with confectioner
Italian cake made with chocolate and either almonds or hazelnuts
Torta della nonna
Torta della nonna.jpg
Italian sweet pastry cake filled with vanilla-flavored custard and covered with pine nuts and confectioner's sugar.
Torta alla Monferrina
Canadian Apple Cake, Ehrenbach.jpg
Cake made from pumpkin, or apples and sugar, with amaretti, chocolate, eggs, and rum
Torta delle rose
Rose
Cake made with leavened dough rich in butter and sugar, which is rolled up and placed in the baking tin, taking the characteristic shape of a basket of rosebuds
Torta setteveli
Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte für Hochzeiten.jpg
Chocolate cake with seven layers of hazelnut cream, hazelnut crunch, chocolate mousse, and a glaze
Torta Tre Monti Dessert consisting of thin waffle slices with interwoven layers of cream, then covered in chocolate

U

Name Image Description
Uovo sbattuto
L
Beverage that consists of egg yolk and sugar

Z

Name Image Description
Zabaione
Marsala sabayon with cookie and local stone fruit.jpg
Dessert beverage made with egg yolks, sugar, and a sweet wine
Zeppole
Zeppole (5906312247).jpg
Fried dough dessert with powdered sugar
Zuccotto
Zuccotto gelato.jpg
Semi-frozen, chilled dessert made with alchermes, cake and ice cream
Zuppa Inglese
3 Zuppa inglese.jpg
Italian dessert layering custard and sponge cake
Zelten
Traditional English Fruitcake.jpg
Traditional Italian fruitcake served during Christmas

Italian pastries

Chocolate and pistachio biscotti

See also

References

  1. ^ Sert, Ayşe Nevi̇N (30 November 2017). "Italian Cuisine: Characteristics and Effects". Journal of Business Management and Economic Research. 1 (1): 49–57. doi:10.29226/jobmer.2017.4.
  2. ^ "Italians, Chinese, Arabs – who invented ice cream?". South China Morning Post. 18 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Definition of biscotti in English". Oxforddictionaries.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.