What is Zuppa Inglese?

It is not what we had imagined. 

Limone. Cioccolato. Vaniglia. These were the gelato flavors that we had expected to be confronted with during our first major decision as American students abroad in Padua, Italy. Which should we choose to enjoy as we strolled past churches, fountains, and palazzi with sunglasses on?

Instead, it was a cold and rainy winter day when we arrived. Twenty-five miles away in Venice Teatro la Fenice, the great opera house, was in flames. The water in the streets, squares, and canals of the Veneto was creeping higher. Jeanna met her host mother as she was yelling at a police officer over her illegal parking. And a tour guide told us that the proper way to refer to gay people in Italy was finocchi, which even we, so new in town our socks were not yet wet, knew wasn't right. We wrapped our coats tightly around ourselves and turned to the gelateria to find some buoyancy.

We thought "Zuppa Inglese," the ice cream flavor, was hilarious. English Soup. We imagined oozing custard that would never freeze, handed to us in a bowl via ladle, with some broken biscuits drowning inside. Why is it English? Why is it soup? It became a shorthand for our scattershot thoughts about being dropped in an Italy that challenged every expectation we had. What a Zuppa Inglese. What a mess. 

Zuppa Inglese itself is, in fact, a bit of a mess: inspired by an English trifle, this dolce al cucchiaio (a dessert eaten with a spoon) slathers layers of sponge cake, custard, jam, and cream in a glass bowl, revealing colorful strata. The ice cream flavor followed as a tribute. Zuppa Inglese is a very Italian dessert, but like so many things in Italy it varies from region to region, and is made with different combinations of ingredients from Emilia-Romagna to Abruzzo, from Tuscany to Rome. Chocolate, lady fingers, apricot jam, and sour cherries all appear in various versions.

Zuppa Inglese is held together by an ancient liquor, Alchermes. The name derives from the Arabic al-qirmiz, meaning the cochineal, a parasite used for centuries to produce red dye. The hues crimson and carmine derive from this bug, and their names from this word. Alchermes combined the essence of the cochineal with spirits and spices: cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, clove, and rose water, as well as other altering elements over time. Produced in Florence to this day, it became a favorite of the Medici family. In Sicily, it was used as a tonic to chase terror from screaming children. 

Now, the parasitic compound is usually replaced by a synthetic red dye, but Alchermes is still known and used for its brilliant red color in desserts. And Zuppa Inglese is still characterized by the bright crimson streak of Alchermes that runs through it - and its messy, ever-changing layers of textures and flavors, bitter and sweet.