cassata

Meaning

Noun

• A type of tutti-frutti or Neapolitan ice cream with nuts and candied fruits.
• Synonym of cassata siciliana

Origin

• Borrowed from Italian cassata ("cassata siciliana"), from Sicilian cassata, probably from Vulgar Latin *cāseāta, from cāseus. Compare Maltese qassata, confirming that the use of ricotta cheese is what unites all of the relevant dishes (and hence probably the original meaning).