El tiramisú, Día Mundial de la Poesía, Pocahontas y el sarampión, en los entremeses del Banquete del Dr. Zagal 21 marzo 2026.

·50 min·5 clips

Héctor Zagal reveals why tiramisu, World Poetry Day, Pocahontas, and measles share a surprising historical menu.

The episode opens with Héctor Zagal welcoming listeners to a live broadcast from Mexico City, joined by regular collaborators Anne Borbolla, Juan Pablo Trujillo, and Luis Manuel Gómez. The first segment focuses on tiramisu, detailing its ingredients like savoiardi cookies and mascarpone cream. Zagal explains the dessert's name translates to 'cheer me up' and discusses two origin legends: one from Le Becherie restaurant in the 1970s and another linking it to a brothel in Treviso as an aphrodisiac. He mentions the Tiramisu World Cup and variations like using tea instead of coffee. The show transitions to World Poetry Day, proclaimed by UNESCO in 1999. The hosts discuss poetry's oral origins, its role in childhood language development, and how adolescents use it to process intense emotions. Zagal reads a poem by Baltasar de Alcázar and shares advice from Rainer Maria Rilke's letters to a young poet. He then prompts ChatGPT to generate a poem about his show, which the hosts critique. The third segment examines Pocahontas, born Matoaka in 1595. The conversation debunks Disney's romanticized version, revealing she saved John Smith as part of a ritual misunderstanding. Pocahontas was captured by English colonists, converted to Christianity, baptized Rebecca, and married John Rolfe. She died at age 21 in England, possibly from tuberculosis. The hosts draw parallels to La Malinche. The final topic is measles, a disease absent in the Americas before European contact. Zagal notes it caused millions of deaths post-colonization and discusses historical treatments like bloodletting. He covers key figures like Peter Panum, who studied incubation periods, and Francis Home, who proved transmission via infected blood. The development of the vaccine in 1963 by Maurice Hilleman is highlighted, along with Roald Dahl's advocacy after his daughter died from measles complications. The episode concludes with thanks to the production team.

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