Stracciatella, Torta delle Rose And More: These Italian Dessert Names Are Going To Roll Off Your Tongue After Reading This

No trip to Italy is devoid without a visit to the Lombardy region that houses Milan, the country's fashion and finance capital. You can also go around Bergamo, a pictureque city that's got both the charm of its medieval history and contemporary streets and squares. You can also explore Brescia, which is known for its Roman and Renaissance heritage, or visit Como, which has become a favourite Bollywood wedding destination. There's a lot more than the few cities that we have mentioned above to enjoy in Lombardy. The sites and scenic wonders are never ending and the experience will always remain close to your heart. And to accompany you across this region will always be different foods to devour, including lovely desserts. These are the Italian dessert names you want to keep in mind:

Torta Paradiso

Paradise cake or torta paradiso is an extremely soft and spongy cake originating from the city of Pavia, and is a popular breakfast item along with a strong cup of espresso. You’d be surprised how just three simple ingredients — flour, butter, and sugar — can come together to become something so delicious and melt-in-your mouth. There are many variations of the torta paradiso that you will encounter, but it’s most popularly served with a generous dusting of icing sugar.

Stracciatella

You might have come across this flavour of gelato, and even ice cream at one of those upscale dessert parlours. However, in Italy, this flavour is commonplace yet popular. Stracciatella was invented by Enrico Panattoni, a restaurant owner in Bergamo, where all he did was put tiny bits of chocolate in vanilla ice cream. Stracciatella translates to "little shreds", so the name is quite apt.

Amaretti di Saronno

From the town of Saronno in Lombardy come these bitter-sweet flavoured cookies, which are crunchy on the outside and have a delicate chewy interior. Amaretti di Saronno is just one of the many riffs on the traditional amaretti biscuit that you'll find everywhere in Italy, except this version contains ground apricot kernels along with almond flours, egg whites, and flour.

Torta delle Rose

Known as “rose cake” in English, it is found in Mantuan and Brescian cuisines, and looks like a bouquet of roses from the top. It’s a yeasted bread cake that is sweetened with buttercream. Besides its distinctive appearance, the history associated with this cake is also worth noting - it was created in honour and celebration of Isabella d'Este's (a prominent female figure of the Italian Rennaissance) marriage to Francesco II Gonzaga in 1490.

Sbrisolona

Sbrisolona looks like a giant almond cookie that has a crumbly consistency. It’s a simple and rustic dish that dates back to the 16th century, and was something consumed mostly by commoners. However, it was spruced up for the noble's appetite with expensive nuts and spices, something that were hard to come by otherwise. Sbrisolona contains cornmeal, wheat flour, lard or butter, and is usually eaten with an Italian dessert wine.

Torta Paesana

It’s also known as “black cake” or “bread cake” owing to its dark appearance and use of stale bread along with amaretto cookies, milk, and eggs. Back in the day, sometimes cocoa powder was also included, if it was available. Torta paesana comes from the Brianza region of Lombardy, which is not too far off from Milan.