Italian pastry chef Roberto Linguanotto - who invented tiramisu - has died age 80

Over time, even the most famous of celebrities will fade from memory; Kim Kardashian will be forgotten, even the legacies of musicians like Bob Marley and Justin Bieber won’t last forever.

But one man has left an impression on the world that will last an eternity, having changed the world of Italian cuisine forever. On a random afternoon in January 1970, Roberto Linguanotto stumbled across a culinary revelation - and did so by accident.

The Italian pastry chef was making gelato when he accidentally dropped mascarpone into a mixing bowl of eggs and sugar. Realising it tasted quite nice, he added coffee to balance the flavours... and so the first tiramisu was made.

The dessert became known as an aphrodisiac, even featuring in the Tom Hanks movie Sleepless in Seattle. Its reputation as an Italian food stands right up there with the likes of spaghetti and mozzarella.

Linguanotto died last month at the age of 80, having been diagnosed with cancer. He had also struggled with heart problems that restricted his diet, which according to the Times he told his family was “not much of an existence”.

Paying tribute on social media, @CharlieWooooo said: “If I had known the man that invented tiramisu was still alive I would've pilgrimaged to be within his blessed presence.” @seismically added: “Imagine if tiramisu was never invented. What a terrible world we would be living in.”