Mon, Jul 23rd 2007, 00:00
Naples is widely considered the birthplace of pizza as we know it today.
This fact is debatable … the Greeks and the Egyptians were indulging in flat, unleavened bread topped with olive oil and native spices long before the Italians got their act together. But, as with most things, the Neapolitans perfected the recipe and added the style! And it is the Naples version of flat bread … the pizza … that has taken the world by storm.
The flatbread revolution began in Italy only when locals were introduced to buffalo milk and tomatoes. (Buffalo were introduced from India around the year 1000AD, and tomatoes only made their appearance in the 16th Century.) It was only then that the stage was set, and pizza was created.
The baker Raffaele Esposito is the first person to be credited with adding cheese topping to flatbread, the mark of pizza as we know it today. He was commissioned to produce a special snack for the visit of King Umberto and Queen Margherita in 1889 … and came up with 3 flavours for flatbread toppings.
The queen favoured the pizza topped with mozzarella, tomato and basil, so from that day Pizza Margherita was named in her honour. It is the quintessential Italian pizza with the red, white, and green of the ingredients representing the colours of the Italian flag.
Pizza was favoured by royalty and the common people too. Pizza Marinara, another Naples staple, was the food the fishermen ate when they returned home from fishing trips in the Bay of Naples. It has a topping of tomato, oregano, garlic, olive oil and basil.
Pizza purists believe that the true pizza has to be baked in a wood oven and topped with Campania made mozzarella di bufala (mozzarella made of buffalo milk). They believe that you will only truly taste a good pizza if you eat it in a pizzeria in Naples!
If you are a lover of pizza, a visit to Naples is a must do travel destination. Many of the original pizzerias are still open today: Antica Pizzeria Brandi dates back to 1780. Today it heaves with tourists making their pilgrimage to the birthplace of Pizza Margherita.
Italian immigrants took Italian cuisine around the world and these days pizza is big business; you can enjoy the taste of Naples in every corner of the globe. There is even a certification body that issues recognition to pizza restaurants around the world deemed to make La vera pizza (true pizza) in their pizzeria or restaurant.
Pizza lovers of the world unite ... Pizza, our favourite Italian food ! reviews
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