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Neapolitan Pizza - WOW!
Neapolitan pizza, or pizza Napoletana, originated in Naples, Italy. This pizza is prepared with simple and fresh ingredients: a basic dough, raw tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and olive oil. Neapolitan pizza is cooked at a very high temperature (850 F to 950 F) for no more than 90 seconds to achieve a puffed up, fluffy edge with char marks and a soft thin crust center. It is normally eaten by folding the pizza, or with fork and knife. The toppings are arranged to produce a balance of simple flavors, just right and not too heavy on the palate.
History Pizza as we know it today (dough topped with tomatoes and cheese) was invented in Naples. Before the 1700s, flat-breads existed but were never topped with tomatoes, which is now a defining characteristic of pizza. Tomatoes were brought to Europe in the 16th century by explorers returning from Peru. However, many Europeans believed tomatoes were poisonous until poor peasants in Naples began to top their flat-bread with them in the late 18th century. The dish soon became popular. Many visitors to Naples would even seek out the poorer neighborhoods to try this local specialty.
Marinara pizza does not have cheese. It received its name because it was traditionally prepared by “la marinara” (a seaman's wife) for her husband when he returned from fishing trips in the Bay of Naples. Baker Raffaele Esposito, who worked at the Naples pizzeria “Pietro... e basta così”, is generally credited with creating the Margherita pizza. In 1889, King Umberto I and Queen Margherita of Savoy visited Naples. Esposito baked them a pizza named in honor of the queen whose colors mirrored those of the Italian flag: red (tomatoes), white (mozzarella), and green (basil leaves). This is what is now known as the classic Neapolitan pizza today.
Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Requirements The official requirements of an authentic Neapolitan pizza starts with the crust. The dough must be made with high quality Italian 00 flour, Neapolitan or fresh brewer’s yeast, water, and sea salt. It must be kneaded by hand or with a low-speed mixer and stretched by hand, without the help of a rolling pin. The dough is topped with raw, pureed San Marzano tomatoes from Italy. It can use only two types of mozzarella cheese. One is Fior di Latte made from cow’s milk and the other is mozzarella di Bufala, made from water buffalo milk, typically raised in the Campania and Lazio marshlands in Italy. Finally, Neapolitan pizza is topped off with fresh basil and extra-virgin olive oil. The ingredients must be all-natural and fresh. Ciao, Stefano
Marinara pizza does not have cheese. It received its name because it was traditionally prepared by “la marinara” (a seaman's wife) for her husband when he returned from fishing trips in the Bay of Naples. Baker Raffaele Esposito, who worked at the Naples pizzeria “Pietro... e basta così”, is generally credited with creating the Margherita pizza. In 1889, King Umberto I and Queen Margherita of Savoy visited Naples. Esposito baked them a pizza named in honor of the queen whose colors mirrored those of the Italian flag: red (tomatoes), white (mozzarella), and green (basil leaves). This is what is now known as the classic Neapolitan pizza today.
Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Requirements The official requirements of an authentic Neapolitan pizza starts with the crust. The dough must be made with high quality Italian 00 flour, Neapolitan or fresh brewer’s yeast, water, and sea salt. It must be kneaded by hand or with a low-speed mixer and stretched by hand, without the help of a rolling pin. The dough is topped with raw, pureed San Marzano tomatoes from Italy. It can use only two types of mozzarella cheese. One is Fior di Latte made from cow’s milk and the other is mozzarella di Bufala, made from water buffalo milk, typically raised in the Campania and Lazio marshlands in Italy. Finally, Neapolitan pizza is topped off with fresh basil and extra-virgin olive oil. The ingredients must be all-natural and fresh. Ciao, Stefano
