European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 6, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Food Tiramisu f i i italian dessert whips up International fad by Sharon Hudgins " special to stripes Magazine the question 1 am most often asked in regard to food writing is where do you get All the ideas for your food columns at first i was so surprised by that question that i could t think of a Quick concise satisfactory answer. Coming up with new ideas is the least of my problems. Always in Contact with my subject three meals a Day i find that ideas for food articles far exceed the time i have to write about All of them. Another source of inspiration is my Library of 400 cookbooks ranging from Julia child s classics to such esoteric works As the Art of cooking with roses. But surely the largest number of ideas comes from travel. At last count i had managed to set foot in 40 countries throughout the world not Many when you consider that there Are More than 165 nations on the Globe but enough to Supply me with More recipes food lore and culinary anecdotes than i la Ever be Able to make use of. Take for example the Chain of events that resulted in my writing about italian Tiramisu. While eating a memorable Ricotta and spinach pizza at a Small pizzeria near Verona i noticed a hand painted sign taped to the Wall Tiramisu. My first reaction was to wonder whether this mom and pop italian restaurant had decided to add something japanese to the menu. I wanted to order Tiramisu just to see what it was but my husband talked me out of it. We had already eaten a full meal the hour was late we still had to drive All the Way through the Brenner pass. Well you know the Story. The next evening at my favorite italian restaurant near Munich the typewritten daily menu listed As one of the desserts Haus Gedacht Tiramisu. Having thus discovered that this japanese sounding word referred to a dessert i decided to order it in the interest of food research of course. And knowing that anything Haus Gedacht homemade at this particular italian restaurant was bound to be Good i was taking very Little risk. But my husband insisted on first asking the waiter to explain what Tiramisu was. Just in Case. His description left our Mouths watering ladyfingers Flavoured with espresso Coffee layered with Mascar Pone cheese beaten together with eggs sugar and liqueur and topped with powdered chocolate. Sort of like an italian Zuppa no Ese but not really the same thing. Delicious. Try it you la like it the waiter concluded but he did t have to persuade us. We were already sold. And the Rich moist creamy concoction that he brought to the table was even better than we expected. My husband and i had agreed to split one portion of Tiramisu but after tasting it i insisted on eating More than my share just to get even with him for refusing to order Tiramisu in Italy the night before the Tiramisu Sleuth within two Days time i had discovered a new and wonderful italian dessert. But that was Only the beginning. My discovery raised questions that i could t easily answer. Why for instance in All the time i had spent in Italy from Brindisi to the Tirol had i never encountered Tiramisu before and Why had i never seen it on the menus at the other italian restaurants i frequent in Germany Tiramisu  with a cup of cappucino at the Wilhelmi Tenhof Bei Amato n most important How could i make it at Home none of my 17 italian cookbooks made any mention of Tiramisu. None of the major food magazines at that time contained a recipe for it. Of course i could always ask the restaurant for its recipe but that still would t answer such questions As what Region s of Italy does Tiramisu come from what does the word itself mean is there More than one recipe for making it perhaps it s the food writer s curse that she or he can Seldom eat anything without wanting to know not Only the ingredients and cooking techniques but also the recipe s history development lore and grandmother s secret tricks associated with it. My next move was to write to gourmet Magazine to ask if its research staff could enlighten me on the subject of Tiramisu. You Don t have to be a professional food writer to ask gourmet for information. It s a free service they provide to any readers who write to them with specific questions about culinary matters i also wanted to know if there was any substitute for italian Mascar Pone cheese apparently an essential ingredient in Tiramisu but one that might not always be possible to find. Gourmet sent just the information i needed a recent new York times article on Tiramisu plus two timely Magazine articles on the subject one of which suggested a substitute for Mascar Pone cheese. A Short time later a Friend admitted that Tiramisu was her favorite dessert and that she had a foolproof recipe for it. Soon after that someone else gave me an authentic italian recipe for Tiramisu from a restaurateur and cooking teacher in Arezzo. These set me off on the  Tiramisu. Along the Way i discovered that it was impossible to research Tiramisu without also learning something about Mascar Pone cheese. And i also Learned that different people have very firm ideas about the Correct Way to make authentic Tiramisu. You d be surprised at the passions this subject arouses. Tiramisu the fad according to food writer Marian Burros Tiramisu is the newest italian dessert in new York restaurants. Almost unknown in new York three years ago it has apparently taken the City by storm. Burros Points out that new yorkers have fallen in love with Tiramisu under the mistaken impression that it is Light a statement that left me dumbfounded. Tiramisu Light anyone who has eaten this heavy gooey creamy caloric cholesterol filled dessert knows that Tiramisu is a hip hugging cellulite producing heart attack special. But then what do Noo hawkers know about anything anyway huh americans Aren t the Only ones who be fallen in love with this dessert. In Germany too it s quite the rage. The first time i ate at the Piccola Osteria a charming Little italian restaurant in the heart of Munich i noticed Tiramisu chalked on the blackboard that lists the daily specials. As i sat alone at my tiny table Savouring my Gnocchi with go gonzo a sauce i watched a steady Stream of Well dressed customers enter the restaurant. Speaking French German italian Spanish English or Serbo croatian each had a Glass of wine at the 4 stripes Magazine March 6,1986