Restaurant That Invented Tiramisù Closes At End Of March

It's the end of an era. Le Becchiere, the family-owned restaurant that has been in business since 1939 and that claims to have been the birthplace of the beloved espresso-soaked lady fingers dessert known as tiramisù, has announced that they will be closing at the end of the month due to Italy's ongoingfinancial crisis.

The Local reports that Le Becchiere (which means "the butcher shops") has been forced to shut its doors as fewer and fewer people have come to the restaurant.

"There has been a fall in [the number of] customers," Carlo Campeol, the restaurant's owner and son of the dessert's putative inventors told The Local. "There are no more politicians, businesses or general public [coming here]. In this business there are two types of people: ruthless entrepreneurs and restaurateurs guided by passion. I belong to the last category."

The restaurant opened its doors on the first day that World War II broke out. As the legend goes, tiramisù was invented by Ada Campoel, who wanted to invent a dessert that would give her an energy boost after the birth of her first son.

Celebrate the legacy of Le Becchiere with The Daily Meal's own classic tiramisù cake recipe.

Joanna Fantozzi is on Twitter. Follow her here.