Panna cotta, in all its simplicity, might just be the perfect dessert. Smooth, silky, with just the right touch of sweetness, the creamy Italian favorite has long been a staple on European menus. As with most food origin stories, there's some debate about its history; the first mention of it in print can be traced all the way back to 1879, when a dictionary first referred to it as "latte inglese," or English milk. Though it wasn't originally called panna cotta, the recipe was the same: Cream, sugar, and gelatin.
There were similar dishes cooked in other parts of Europe, but the panna cotta we know and love is claimed by the Piedmont region of Northern Italy. One of the stories circulating about the dessert is that it was created by a Hungarian woman who lived in the Langhe area, though there's no clear proof of this. What most people agree on is that the dessert was first written on a menu by Chef Ettore Songia, who served it at his restaurant in Cuneo in 1966.
