Zabaglione

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A light, frothy dessert made from whipped egg yolks and sugar, often flavored with wine or liquor
2. An Italian custard-like treat prepared by whisking egg yolks with sugar and typically served warm, sometimes with fruit
3. A creamy dessert characterized by its airy texture, created by beating egg yolks with sugar and incorporating a sweet wine, often served as a sauce over other desserts

Etymology: Zabaglione is a whipped dessert of egg yolks, sugar and a sweet wine, and its name traces back to a drink rather than a dish. The Italian word it comes from is thought to be a development of "sabaia," a Latin term for an Illyrian barley beer, which points to the ancient Balkan lands across the Adriatic from Italy. The Italian suffix "-one," which adds a sense of largeness, was attached to that root, so the name carries the idea of a big, frothy grog. The link between the drink and the dessert is the foam. A whipped mixture of eggs and sweetened liquid puffs up into a light, airy froth, and the Italian name seems to have followed that texture rather than any ingredient. The origin of the Illyrian word itself is uncertain, though it is generally connected to an ancient root meaning "taste," so the dessert's name ultimately belongs to the vocabulary of drinking.

Synonyms: custard