Pizza is one of the world’s most popular foods, served on every continent. People think of pizza as “Italian food,” but pizza often takes on the flavors of the country in which it is prepared, sometimes abandoning pizza’s roots and reflecting its’ residents’ palates. For example, American pizzas tend to be larger and more filling, while Nordic chefs sometimes substitute locally popular Emmental cheese for mozzarella. Restaurants in some countries prepare pizzas with the philosophy that any Italian cheese will do, so you may get a pizza with provolone in Mexico, for example.
Pizza’s Neopolitan Origins
According to the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association, a group dedicated to preserving and promoting authentic, high quality pizza preparation by conferring the Italian government-granted D.O.C. (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) status on qualifying pizzerias worldwide, modern pizza was invented by a Neopolitan, Raffaele Esposito, for Princess Margherita di Savioa, in 1871. Esposito baked his masterpiece of tomato sauce, mozzarella di bufala cheese, and basil leaves on a disc shaped dough and called it a pizza margherita, a patriotic dish resembling the red, white, and green tricolore flag of the newly unified nation of Italy. Many Mediterranean countries have a variation of the precursor to modern pizza, namely pita or focaccia bread covered in olive oil and spices. Europeans did not have the tomato, arguably the most important pizza ingredient, before Christopher Columbus brought it to Europe 15th century and Europeans began eating 300 years later. The poor of Naples have always eaten some version of pizza, and Neopolitan emigrants brought pizza to the world in the early 20th century.
Neopolitan vs. Roman pizza
Pizza purists in Naples go to L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, a simple establishment making legendary pies and that bills itself as the city’s oldest pizzeria. Naples’ pizzaioli (pizza makers) make the crust thin but chewy, with a smattering of sauce made from the region’s San Marzano tomatoes, a few melted pools of mozzarella (often mozzarella di bufala), and topped with a few basil leaves. A tiny dash of salt enhances the rich flavor of the tomatoes. Pizza in Roman restaurants is often slightly thicker and usually has a bit more cheese. For a slightly different take on pizza, the Pizza al Taglio shop on the corner of Rome’s Campo di Fiori offers traditional cheese pizza, pasta pizza, veggie pizza varieties, tomato-less pizzas, and meat pizzas.
Pizza in America
“American pizza” can mean different things, from Chicago deep dish pizza, New York City style thin pizzeria pizza, rich Pizza Hut pizza, or pizza with strange toppings like ham and pineapple. True Italian pizza is difficult , but not impossible, to find in the US. In New York City, celebrity chef Mario Batali’s Otto Enoteca and Pizzeria serves true Neopolitan style pies, along with simple but fresh and flavorful Italian pastas and antipasti, like hand cured salumi. In Washington, D.C., 2Amys Pizzeria makes sumptuous Italian style pizzas, three of which have the Verace Pizza Napolitana certification “D.O.C.” – the Margherita, Margherita extra (extra tomatoes), and the Marinara. They also offer antipasti, desserts, and panini. 2Amy’s does not take reservations but their inspired treatment of Italian cuisine is a justification for many to wait one to two hours for a dinner table. Interestingly, Bertucci’s, an American chain restaurant, also has fresh and tasty pizzas that are D.O.C certified.
Should We Pass Judgment?
All pizzas, whether American style, Neopolitan, or some other variation, can be appreciated in their own right, but they should not be confused with true Neopolitan pizza, no matter what they are called on the menu.
