“Is it tee-ra-mee-soo or tee-rah-meez-oo?”
The correct pronunciation, reflecting the Italian cadence, is tee-ra-mee-soo. The emphasis falls on the third syllable, and remember that the final 'o' sound should be crisp, not dragged out.
While English speakers often simplify complex foreign names into more familiar patterns, proper pronunciation requires treating it as three distinct syllables: *ti* (as in tea), *ra*, and *mee-soo*. The initial misconception often comes from hearing the 'r' sound dropped or merging it with the vowel preceding it. When speaking Italianate desserts, think of a rolling, yet precise, quality to the vowels.
However, pronunciation is less about phonetics and more about cultural respect for the name’s roots. For an American audience consuming this dessert in a restaurant setting, ensuring you pronounce it correctly shows knowledge of the cuisine, but understanding that local chefs or servers might default to their own regional approximation is also normal. The most important thing is recognizing that the name itself tells you exactly what kind of food category you are looking at: an Italian dessert.