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Panna cotta is an Italian dessert made by simmering together some cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, before letting it cool until set. An Italian phrase which literally means "cooked cream", it generally refers to a creamy, set dessert from the Northern Italian region of Piedmont. It is eaten all over Italy where it is served with wild berries, caramel or chocolate sauce. It is not generally known exactly how or when this dessert came to be, but some theories suggest that cream, for which mountainous Northern Italy is famous, was historically eaten plain or sweetened with fruit or hazelnuts. Earlier recipes for the dish used boiled fish bones in place of gelatin; however, sugar, a main ingredient, would not have been available in Europe till the 16th century. After years this treat evolved into what is now a gelatin-thickened semi-custard semi-mousse dessert, flavored with vanilla and topped with fruit or spices, and served chilled. Panna cotta, while in the custard family, is the only one that contains no eggs. Similar versions of this dish are also found in Greece and France.
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