In the year that marks the 150th anniversary of Italian immigration to Brazil, São Paulo sales manager Vanderlei Toniolo will rely on his roots to win the Tiramisu World Cup, which takes place in Treviso, Veneto, this weekend.
In an interview with ANSA, Toniolo revealed that he was excited to participate in the competition because his grandfather is originally from Veneto and arrived in Brazil at the age of four, in 1907.
“It is an honor to be able to return to Italy and to compete in something that is my hobby: confectionery,” said the commercial manager, who has been an Italian citizen since 2020, emphasizing that winning the stage in Brazil and being the representative in the final phase is “an explosion of surprises”.
“For Italians, tiramisù is like brigadeiro for Brazilians,” said Toniolo, who has been training every weekend and taking family and friends to try his version of the dessert.
The Italian-descendant won a place in the final phase of the competition after winning the Brazilian stage last June, with a creative version of the dessert, in which he combines elements of the traditional recipe with Amazonian flavors.
In addition to the six basic ingredients – eggs, sugar, mascarpone cheese, coffee, cocoa and the traditional savoiardi biscuit – Toniolo used cumaru seeds (the Amazonian vanilla) and cupuaçu jelly between the layers.
According to him, his idea was always to bring a particularity of Brazilian cuisine to Italy and, therefore, he tested several flavor options, including pumpkin jam, to achieve a “perfect balance between sweetness and acidity”.
“It’s a peculiar mix, because you put different flavors in a very delicate dessert. It’s a touch of our biodiversity for this Italian tradition,” he said, emphasizing that he also made the choice thinking about the celebration of 150 years of immigration.
“My hope is that this combination of cultures and flavors can lead to a new perspective on the dessert, honoring its Italian roots but with an innovative twist,” he concluded.
An eventual victory for Toniolo would also mean a second championship for Brazil, which won the Tiramisù World Cup in 2023 with confectioner and chef Patricia Guerra, who will return to the competition in 2024, but now as an evaluator.
“I return to Italy very proud to represent my country once again, this time as a judge. A challenge to which I intend to dedicate myself to the utmost to be as fair as possible, as human as possible, because I have already been on the other side,” she told ANSA.
The first foreigner to win the competition also emphasized that she is very excited to meet the new champion.
“Who knows, we might have a new Brazilian, but whoever it is, they should be as proud to carry this title for a year as I am,” he said.HANDLE)
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