Italian meringue is a style of meringue, made from egg whites and hot sugar syrup. It is the most stable style of meringue, when compared to French meringue and Swiss meringue. Because the hot syrup gently cooks the egg whites, it can be baked to a crisp texture without damage.
Italian meringue is the style of meringue most often used as a dessert topping, as in lemon meringue pie, or to stabilize buttercream frosting. It is also used to add lightness and creaminess to frozen desserts such as ice creams, sorbets, and mousses.