Portuguese milk pudding: a white dive into Europe’s culinary history

Sometimes called "fiordilatte", other times "portuguese milk pudding", or even "standing milk", this simple yet delicious pudding always keeps its essence: a dessert with fascinating origins, halfway between the Portuguese courts and Northern Italian traditions.

Here is the recipe for portuguese milk pudding, a delicate and creamy dessert that enchants with its simplicity. Just a few ingredients, skillfully combined, to create a moment of pure sweetness.

From the Portuguese courts to Italian tables  

Its origins are woven between history and legend. One version tells that this pudding was first served at the court of the De' Medici family during a visit from a Portuguese delegation. Another version, however, credits its direct import from Portugal in the 16th century, likely thanks to Tuscan merchants returning from a journey. From there, the dessert spread through the regions of Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, and Lombardy.

From country tables to the pages of Artusi

This dessert found a place of honor among many rural communities, eventually becoming a staple on our tables, thanks in part to the composer Giacomo Puccini, who loved to end his meals with this milky delicacy. The definitive turning point, however, came with Pellegrino Artusi: in 1891, Artusi included the recipe in his famous book, offering it in three versions—vanilla, coffee, and coriander seed—thus cementing this dessert in Italian culinary tradition.