When we order a large mozzarella, we think little of the historical forces that made possible the existence of this much-desired product that we call pizza. Global as few things, was just the commercial exchange in the Mediterranean that expanded the pita bread from Greece to Rome, which already deliriously made the former inhabitants of the Empire among circus functions. But it was with the advent of the cities, after the end of the Middle Ages, when this dish made with flour, tomato and cheese began to take modern shape, and that it is popular even in strange places like Nuuk or Bangkok, to mention just a few.
About the origin, we can talk for days without reaching a conclusion. But we are certain that the Romans ate pizza, it was like a kind of bread, which was devoured quickly in the street, unleavened bread. it already belongs to the Jewish tradition.
The indicated size of Neapolitan pizza is 30 centimetres, that is, it occupies a whole shallow dish. And it’s for a single person. It is not crispy (like a pizza on the stone or grilled) and is not exactly thing either. A very skilful cook is needed in order to emulate an originale pizza magherita.
Here at Romeo’s Woodfired Pizza you can enjoy the most delicious pizzas prepared by truly experienced professionals using only top quality ingredients. Contact us today for more information about our pizzas and we’ll be happy to help you.
The reborn of Pizza as a modern dish
The first pizza chef who became a celebrity was the famous N’Tuono or Antonio Testa. It is said that in 1672 Fernando de Borbón broke protocol and went to eat a pizza, which was considered exclusively of people. It was to the pizzeria of Antonio Testa, so what did the nobles of Naples do? As the king went to the pizzeria, they started going too.” But a little later, Queen Caroline, who was Hapsburg, did not like pizza and banned it in court.
The pizza that King Bourbon loved was called Mastunicola, the Neapolitan name for basil. It is still found in Neapolitan pizzerias, such as La Notizia, the famous restaurant of the master pizza chef Enzo Coccia, where you can see some celebrity eating.
Why was pizza lost in the Middle Ages and reborn with cities? Small pizza restaurants started to appear for people who wanted to eat something quick while walking to their workplaces. The fact that the dish has been reborn in southern Italy has a perfect explanation: wheat is harder there and, therefore, has a higher gluten content, which makes dough possible. This dough. The flour of the north, on the other hand, is weaker. For that reason, the typical pasta of that region is to the egg, whereas the one of the south is the dry pasta. Look how simple.
King Ferdinand II no longer had to escape to eat pizza: a special oven was built in the park of Capodimonte, where there is a ceramic tradition imported from Bohemia. The engineer in charge of the work was the son of N’Tuono. The pizza had cast its “real” roots.
But everything changed in 1776. It was when the viceroy of Peru sent a gift to the king of Naples: the tomato. They planted it in San Marzano, in fertile volcanic soil, and that was the birth certificate of a perfect tomato, known worldwide for its ideal level of acidity. Already in 1800, there are records of the first pizza with the most precious fruit of the Americas. It is, of course, the famous Marinara. It also has garlic, oregano and basil.
Several generations later, in 1839, another famous pizza was born, La Margherita, perhaps the most popular of all times. It was when the mozzarella made its triumphal entry into the product so adored by the Neapolitans. Naples had just been liberated by Garibaldi and therefore became part of Italy. To politically strengthen the new union, Queen Margherita was invited to the city, so he was commissioned to master Raffaele Esposito of the Brandi pizzeria, a special creation. And he elaborated, then, a dough decorated with the ingredients that have the colours of the Italian flag: white (mozzarella), red (tomato), green (basil).
The Three Musketeers also had their part in this story!
Returning to history, we still need to have a fundamental chapter: the one written by Alexandre Dumas, the author of The Three Musketeers. He had travelled to Naples, like any enlightened man of the time, and he found the culinary specialty of the city to great surprise. And he spoke about it in a text called Le Corricolo, which later became a classic. Dumas described a pizza with tomato and anchovy, the anchovy was the humblest fish, the fish of the town because it is very easy to remove and very difficult to clean.
As happened in the city of Naples, the pizza was destined to change when the Neapolitans themselves began to emigrate across all continents, bringing nostalgia in the heart and stomach. The calzone is also the son of poverty. It appeared when people came with little money to the pizzeria, and asked what could be sold for a handful of coins. Then came this kind of pizza folded in the middle, stuffed, which then reached high levels of popularity.
Nowadays pizza is the most popular food all over the world, even more popular than hamburgers and it is known as both, a street-life dish for people who are in a hurry but want to eat something that can give them energy and a dish that can be cooked by an excellent chef playing with innovative ingredients and different ways to cook it.
Eat a delicious and healthy pizza here at Romeo’s Woodfired Pizza and enjoy an excellent meal any day of the week with gourmet specialised people prepared to cook delicious pizzas with an unmatched flavour.