Zuccotto () is an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
dessert
Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and ...
with origins in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
. Zuccotto is a
semi-frozen, chilled
dessert
Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and ...
made with
alchermes
Alchermes (, ; from the ar, القرمز, al-qirmiz, cochineal, from fa, کرمست, kermest, bloody, red, cochineal, carmine) is a type of Italian liqueur (especially in Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna and Sicily) prepared by infusing neutral spirits wi ...
, cake and ice cream.
It can be frozen, then
thawed before serving. This dessert is traditionally made in a special
pumpkin
A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...
-shaped mold ( means "little pumpkin" in Italian). It is widely believed to have been inspired by the dome of
Florence's duomo (the city's main cathedral). Others allude to its shape as closely resembling a cardinal's skullcap or
zucchetto
The zucchetto (, also ,["zucchetto"](_blank)
(US) and , .
References
Frozen desserts
Ice cream
Italian desserts
Sponge cakes
Cuisine of Tuscany
{{Italy-dessert-stub