Flavia Cosolo, a 70-year-old from Pieris, a tiny village in the Friuli region, claims that her pastry chef father, Mario Cosolo, was the first to come up with a cake called tirime su in the 40s ...

Roberto Linguanotto, a Treviso pastry chef considered by Veneto as the inventor of the original tiramisu recipe, awarded the prize. "What gives the final touch to tiramisu is the coffee,” he said.

The campaign for official recognition of the dessert’s provenance is being led by Luca Zaia, the president of the Veneto region, which includes Treviso. “It’s like pizza in Napoli,” he said.

We are at Le Beccherie in Treviso, an elegant city in Veneto, 50 kilometres, or about 30 minutes by train, from Venice. Perched on stools at a high table near the pass, the only available seats in the ...