Zabaione () or zabaglione (, , ) 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, or sometimes a beverage, made with
egg yolks,
sugar, and a sweet
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
(usually
Moscato d'Asti
Moscato d'Asti is a DOCG sparkling white wine made from the Moscato bianco grape and produced mainly in the province of Asti, northwest Italy, and in smaller nearby regions in the provinces of Alessandria and Cuneo. The wine is sweet and low in a ...
or
Marsala wine
Marsala is a fortified wine, dry or sweet, produced in the region surrounding the Italian city of Marsala in Sicily. Marsala first received ''Denominazione di Origine Controllata'' (DOC) status in 1969.
The European Union grants Protected De ...
).
Some versions of the recipe incorporate spirits such as
cognac
Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime.
Cognac production falls under French appella ...
. The dessert version is a light
custard,
whipped to incorporate a large amount of air. Since the 1960s, in restaurants in areas of the United States with large Italian populations, zabaione is usually served with strawberries, blueberries, peaches, etc., in a
champagne coupe. In France, it is called ''sabayon'', while its Italian name is ''zabaione'' or ''zabaglione'' (or ''zabajone'', an archaic spelling).
The dessert is popular in Argentina and Uruguay, where it is known as ''sambayón'' (from the
Piedmontese
Piedmontese (; autonym: or , in it, piemontese) is a language spoken by some 2,000,000 people mostly in Piedmont, northwestern region of Italy. Although considered by most linguists a separate language, in Italy it is often mistakenly reg ...
''sambajon'') and is a popular ice cream flavour.
In Colombia, the name is ''sabajón''. In Venezuela, there is also a related egg-based dessert drink called ''
ponche crema''. This is consumed almost exclusively during Christmas time.
History
Though accounts vary, the Italian dessert dates as far back as the second half of the 15th century, when a recipe for ''Zabaglione'' appears in the manuscript collection at the Morgan Library ''Cuoco Napoletano''. In Tuscany, it is said that Zabaglione has been well known since the 16th century, being very popular at the court of
Caterina de' Medici
Catherine de' Medici ( it, Caterina de' Medici, ; french: Catherine de Médicis, ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France
This is a list of the women who we ...
. In Piedmont, it is said that the original name for the sweetmeat was Sambayon, given in honor of Saint
Pasquale Baylon
Pasquale is a masculine Italian given name and a surname mainly found in southern Italy. It is a cognate of the French name Pascal, the Spanish Pascual, the Portuguese Pascoal and the Catalan Pasqual. Pasquale derives from the Latin ''paschali ...
. In Emilia-Romagna, on the other hand, it is claimed to have been named, in 1471, after the condottiere Giovanni
Baglioni (in dialect ‘Zuan Bajòun) whose men, in foraging for his troops, could come up only with eggs, honey, white wine, and herbs, - an instance of the trope 'necessity is the mother of (culinary) invention' familiar from the historicized origin legends of many cuisines.
Preparation
Classic zabaione uses raw egg yolks cooked in a
bain-marie
A bain-marie (; also known as a water bath or double boiler), a type of heated bath, is a piece of equipment used in science, industry, and cooking to heat materials gently or to keep materials warm over a period of time. A bain-marie is also ...
and most often served with Marsala (though other wines can be substituted).
It can be finished with beaten egg white (meringue) or sometimes with whipped cream.
Occasionally, the wine is omitted when the dish is served to children or those who abstain from
alcohol. It is then, in effect, a very different dessert. It may then be sometimes flavored with a small amount of
espresso
Espresso (, ) is a coffee-brewing method of Italian origin, in which a small amount of nearly boiling water (about ) is forced under of pressure through finely-ground coffee beans. Espresso can be made with a wide variety of coffee beans a ...
, most commonly called
uovo sbattuto
Uovo sbattuto (), also known as , or in Lombardy, is a common Italian breakfast item dating back to rustic times. Similar to ''zabaione'', uovo sbattuto consists of egg yolk and sugar, ingredients readily available in most villages and farms.
...
.
In French cuisine
The French adopted the recipe as part of their system of sauces in the 1800s as a dessert cream called ''sabayon''.
By the 20th century, the name sabayon was also used to describe savory broths and yolk-based sauces.
See also
References
External links
{{Commons category
Zabaglione on h2g2
Italian desserts
French desserts
Argentine cuisine
Uruguayan desserts
Colombian cuisine
Custard desserts