Authentic Neapolitan pizza has been delighting with its taste for many years. Its strength lies in its simplicity, carefully selected ingredients and traditional method of preparation. Neapolitan pizza must be made according to specific guidelines. Over time, more and more variants began to appear, some of them significantly different from the original. Both options with a small and a large amount of ingredients have their supporters.
Pizza unlike any other?
Traditionally , Neapolitan pizza consists of a tomato sauce made with the highest quality San Marzano tomatoes. In some cases, however, the use of this ingredient is deviated in favor of another. For example, you can create a white sauce based on cream or a green sauce based on pesto, like in the Genovese pizza. Although it differs from the original pie created a few centuries ago by Raffaele Esposito, for many people it is the best pizza in Larnaca. Pesto alla genovese is an original, Italian, green basil sauce with a certificate of origin (DOP), with Grana Padano DOP, Parmigiano Reggiano DOP and Pecorino Romano DOP cheeses, pine nuts and garlic and salt. Its history begins in Genoa, the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and is several hundred years old.
Genoese took pesto on sea expeditions because of its anti-scurvy properties. Traditionally, they are made in marble mortars, which ensures that the right consistency of the sauce is obtained and the best aroma is extracted from the basil leaves. In addition to pizza, pesto is also used as an addition to pasta, bread, cheese, salads and other dishes. So it is certainly worth trying a dish with this ingredient and ordering Neapolitan pizza delivered from our restaurant!
Ingredients and preparation
Authentic Neapolitan pizza has a dough composed of type 0 or 00 flour, water, salt, yeast and extra virgin olive oil, should be aged for at least 8 hours and then kneaded with the help of hands, using a special technique so that the air is “pushed” from the center of the dough to the edges. This will make the center of the pizza thin and the edges fluffy and risen. Originally, pizza was baked in a wood-fired oven for 60-90 seconds at 485 degrees Celsius. In Genovese pizza, instead of San Marzano tomato sauce, there is a green pesto-based sauce that adds an aromatic, herbal flavor. Of course, there must also be fresh mozzarella – originally mozzarella di bufala Campana, made from the milk of buffaloes grazing in semi-wild conditions in the marshes of Campania, or mozzarella made from cow’s milk fior di latte. Sweet, even fruity cherry tomatoes have not only taste, but also aesthetic qualities.
They look great on pizza and encourage you to try it. Genovese pizza has also been enriched with the taste of sun-dried tomatoes, which do not lose their nutritional value compared to fresh tomatoes, contain a lot of vitamins and minerals needed by every body and give the dish a distinct, slightly salty taste. Depending on the specific pizzeria, pesto pizza can also be enriched with, for example, Parmesan cheese or pine nuts. However, it is worth trying the traditionally prepared Neapolitan pizza delivered from our Pizza 485 restaurant.
Worth the sin…?
Genovese pizza is an excellent option for people who want to try something a little different than the traditional Neapolitan pizza with tomato sauce. It will also appeal to all those who pay attention to the visual qualities of the dish. Green, white and red go well with each other on the plate, but not in the same way as the Margherita, which has been popular for centuries. Finally, it’s a great option for vegetarians who don’t want to be doomed to ordering pizza with minimal ingredients. The toppings in Genovese pizza provide valuable nutritional properties that are of great importance to the body. A dish can have about 300 kcal in a piece weighing 100 grams, but it all depends on factors such as the thickness of the dough and the exact calorie content and the amount of ingredients used. Pesto has about 500-600 kcal in 100 grams, mozzarella – 260-300, cherry tomatoes – 18, and sun-dried tomatoes – 200-260. It is worth trying this delicacy, because it is not only the caloric content that counts, but also the opportunity to please yourself and provide nutrients to the body. Minor deviations from the diet are not a bad thing!
Genovese pizza is certainly different from the basic variants of Neapolitan pizza, but it also consists of traditional Italian ingredients. Pizzerias in Larnaca prepare it in various variants, but we encourage you to try the one on our menu.