Nonostante il nome possa trarre in inganno ha origini ferraresi, rielaborazione del lontano parente anglosassone “trifle”
La storia della zuppa inglese comincerebbe, nel Sedicesimo secolo, alla fastosa corte dei Duchi d’Este che seppero regalare alla città un lungo periodo di intenso fervore culturale e artistico.
Frequenti erano i contatti con la casa reale inglese e sembra che fu proprio uno dei diplomatici estensi, di ritorno da un lungo soggiorno a Londra, a descrivere il favoloso dolce che i cuochi della corte ferrarese provarono a riprodurre la ricetta ma, trovandosi nell’impossibilità di reperire gli ingredienti originali, finirono per rielaborarla con le materie prime che avevano a disposizione.
Despite its name, this dessert originates from Ferrara and is a re-elaboration of its distant English equivalent, the ‘trifle’
The history of Zuppa Inglese apparently dates back to the 16th century, to the sumptuous court of the Dukes of Este, during whose reign the city experienced a period of intense cultural and artistic development.
There were frequent interactions with the English royal family and it appears that a diplomat of Este, upon returning from a long stay in London, described a fantastic dessert which the cooks at the court of Ferrara attempted to recreate. However, not all the original ingredients were available and so they re-elaborated it with ones they could source.
Leavened pastry was substituted with the so-called ‘bracciatella’ (a soft leavened cake), and the cream was replaced with two different variations, one with confectioner’s custard and one with chocolate. This is how zuppa inglese was created.

Ingredients: 5 egg yolks, 5 spoons of sugar, 5 heaped spoons of flour, 5 small cups of milk, 1 sachet of vanillin, the zest of one lemon, 100 g dark chocolate, 1 pack of ladyfinger biscuits, 100 g black cherry jam or 15-20 black cherries in spirit, cognac or alkermes or mix to taste. For the zabaglione: 3 egg yolks, 3 spoons of sugar, 6 half cups of dry marsala or white dry wine.
Whip the yolks together with the sugar (using an electric mixer), to create a frothy, near-white mixture. Slowly add the flour and then the milk; add the zest and vanillin. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture as it cooks until the cream thickens, without bringing to the boil. In the meantime, line the mould with ladyfinger biscuits cut into two or three pieces and soaked in the liquor. Add a layer of cream and cover with more soaked ladyfingers and then add the jam or cherries in spirit followed by another layer of ladyfingers. Add the dark chocolate (previously pulverised in a mixer) to the remaining yellow cream. Pour into the mould and complete with a final layer of ladyfingers. Place the zuppa inglese in the fridge. Before serving, prepare the zabaglione: whisk the three yolks with the sugar and a spoonful of water until obtaining a creamy mixture, slowly add the marsala or dry white wine and cook in a bain-marie, without bringing to the boil. Leave to cool, remove the zuppa inglese from the fridge and pour the zabaglione over it before serving.