Neapolitan pizza is one of the most popular dishes in the world. It reigns supreme in the rankings in every country – not only in Italy. Since the beginning of its history, there have been many versions that differ significantly from the original. However, it is not worth limiting yourself – it is better to learn about all the variants and find your favorite. At the same time, it is good to know the original history of Italian pizza to know where the beloved pie comes from. Many people choose to make it at home, but for those who doubt their culinary skills, there is an excellent alternative. The best pizza in Larnaca is on the menu of our restaurant. We encourage you to try it on the spot, but the second option is pizza delivery in Larnaca.
A Brief History of Pizza
Even the Greeks were eating pancakes with herbs, garlic and olive oil many years before the Italians. Pizza appeared on the Italian Peninsula around 500 B.C. In the 17th century, after tomatoes were brought to Europe in Naples, it became popular to serve pizza with sauce made from them. Authentic Neapolitan pizza has undergone many modifications since then. The most popular margherita was created in 1898. It was then that the Queen of Italy, Margaret of Savoy, came to Naples with her husband. Baker Raffaele Esposito prepared a pizza for her containing tomatoes, cheese, mozzarella and basil in the colors of the Italian flag. The dish owes its name to the name of the queen. Interestingly, in 2009 the traditional Neapolitan pizza product was reserved by the European Commission. It is officially marked with the symbol of Traditional Speciality Guaranteed as the only type of pizza at the moment. In 1830, the world’s first pizzeria opened in Naples under the name “Antica Pizzeria Port Alba”. The restaurant still exists today. It is worth knowing that at the very beginning, pizza was called a dish for the poor. It was the addition of tomato sauce that enriched its taste. Nowadays, everyone can enjoy this delicacy without limits. The most important thing will be a good pizzeria. Larnaca is a place where there are a lot of good quality establishments.
Italian pizza… How to do?
An authentic Neapolitan pizza should always be made according to a traditional recipe. The ingredients used for baking are as follows:
- San Marzano tomatoes, which grow in volcanic fields,
- Fior di latte cheese made from the milk of cows grazing in Campania and Lazio,
- type 00 flour (Italian flour, finely milled, used for baking pizza, bread and pasta),
- brewer’s yeast,
- salt
- water
- olive oil.
In addition, the Neapolitan pizza must have a dough with a maximum thickness of 3 mm and should be baked for a maximum of 90 seconds at 430°C. After baking, it should be crispy, crispy and aromatic. The most well-known varieties of Neapolitan pizza are margherita, marinara, and bianca. In other regions, you can try Sicilian pizza in a rectangular shape, with thick and fluffy dough, or Lazio pizza on thick crust, prepared in ovens. The key to preparing a good Neapolitan pizza is to prepare the leaven, and then knead the dough for a long time and rise time. A real Italian pizza should rise best overnight before hitting the plate. This will make the dough more elastic and stretchy, and even easy to digest. Then it will be easier to stretch it – Italians do not use a rolling pin, as it would deprive the dough of air unnecessarily. The stretched pancakes are topped with freshly made sauce, mozzarella and basil. The best option is to bake them in a dedicated oven. To bring home conditions closer to those in Italian pizzerias, the dish should be baked at the highest temperature available in the oven. For the best effect, you can equip yourself with a special perforated sheet metal or stone. Before placing the dough on it, it must be warmed up. Baking the pizza for just a few minutes allows you to keep the base crispy without being dry and hard at the same time. Luckily, you don’t have to spend time preparing the dish yourself. The best pizza in Larnaca is on the menu of our pizzeria.
… What ingredients?
In the previous paragraph, the classic ingredients for Neapolitan pizza have been listed, i.e. San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte cheese, type 00 flour, brewer’s yeast, salt, water and olive oil. Depending on the type, the dish may also have a larger number of toppings. For example, parmesan cheese is often added to margherita, marinara is devoid of cheese, but garlic is an important ingredient, and bianca is a cake without sauce or with white sauce. Popular pizza toppings include mushrooms, prosciutto, olives, seafood and really any other pizza that a particular person likes. Cheeses such as sheep’s pecorino, gorgonzola or cheddar cheese, salami, as well as anchovies, spicy peppers, capers, leeks are often added. Individual restaurants offer a huge selection of variants of this tasty dish, so everyone can easily find the perfect option for themselves. Of course, it is worth checking in advance what types and methods of preparation a particular pizzeria offers. Larnaca is a place where you can find many places worth your attention – we recommend that you take a look at our offer, of course.
Italian pizza and the rest of the world
In fact, there are two most popular types of pizza in the world – Italian and American. Each variant has its supporters, and both dishes are radically different from each other. First of all, a pie originating in Italy should have a delicate and thin dough. Pizza from overseas has a thicker and fluffier base. There are definitely more ingredients in it. There are also differences in the method of preparation. The main characteristics of Italian pizza are the dough prepared with type 00 wheat flour, yeast, water and salt. It is distinguished by its delicacy, the thickness should not exceed 3 mm, and the height of the edges should not exceed 2 cm. The bottom does not dominate the whole composition – it complements the sauce and other ingredients. It is fired for a few minutes in a wood-burning oven. There is a “less is more” rule when it comes to accessories. American pizza has a thick dough and crispy edges, and due to the greater amount of ingredients, it is more filling and caloric. There is no room for moderation here. The more cheese, meat and vegetables, the better. The size of a pizza sometimes reaches up to 50 cm. Despite this, it is treated as a quick snack rather than as a wholesome dish. The cheese can even be in the edges of the pancake. Due to the thickness of the pancake, its baking method is longer than that of the Italian variant. The most characteristic types are New York and Chicago pizza – the latter, however, is more like a tart or yeast dough. In addition, in different countries there are dishes that have a lot in common with traditional pizza, but which are different types of pies or resemble focaccia more.
Pizza is a dish associated primarily with Italy, although simple dishes resembling it were known much earlier. The creation of the most popular margherita pizza gave rise to the creation of new variants of this pie, which is now loved all over the world. You can choose to make it yourself at home, visit one of your trusted pizzerias, or choose a delivery option.