Course | Dessert |
---|---|
Place of origin | |
Main ingredients | Egg yolks, sugar, cream |
Semifreddo (Italian: [ˌsemiˈfreddo]; lit. 'half-cold') or perfetti[2] is a class of frozen desserts similar to ice cream.[3] It is derived from the French parfait introduced in Italy during the 19th century.[4]
The main ingredients are egg yolks, sugar, and cream. It has the texture of frozen mousse or cake. The dessert's Spanish counterpart is called semifrío.[5][6] It was created during the 19th century, but did not gain popularity until the early 20th century.[7]
The parfait differs in that the Italian meringue is missing, which is replaced with pâte à bombe.[8]
The biscotto ghiacciato instead contains Italian meringue, semi-whipped cream and fruit purée.[9]