No one seems to know why this very old and much loved dessert is called a Belgian pudding. It has been cooked in the kitchens of ancient aristocratic families in Mantua for centuries and is so special that no one is willing to part with the recipe. Vanna Corbellani Camerlenghi, known in the city as an extraordinary cook, once served it as the piece de resistance at a dinner party and was as amazed as the guest who slipped her spoon into it for a first taste and exclaimed in wonder, "This is what my mother made!" It was the first time she'd had it in years since the recipe had disappeared from her family treasures.
