This is a very old and traditional Italian dessert, and as with most things old and Italian, it also has a hotly contested origin story. Its origins as a custard or chilled dessert may date back to the Medici times. In Emilia Romagna the legend says it was invented in 1471 by the mercenary captain Giovanni Baglioni, whose troops were only able to loot sugar, eggs, and some flasks of local farmers wine. The other origin story is that it was invented in Turin to honor a Franciscan Saint, “Cream of San Baylón"

It is also rumored to have been proscribed by said Franciscan monks to cure male infertility. So, there’s that.