On the pizza trail

Naples is one of the key cities of Italian cooking, the home to the famous food that is a symbol of Italy worldwide: the pizza.
The Naples itinerary proposed here is entirely dedicated to pizza, it history and its ingredients, that are all from this region.
Before going on to the subject of pizza, we prefer to stop and look at its basic ingredients: tomato and mozzarella cheese.

San Marzano tomatoes are a pillar of Neapolitan cooking and the Mediterranean diet. There are countless recipes based on this food, also known as "red gold": pasta dishes with sauces or in stock, side dishes, main courses, and of course, pizzas.
Originally from Peru, exported to Italy by the Spanish rulers and grown in Italy for the first time in the borough of San Marzano, this variety of tomato is the most suited for transformation into the famous canned "peeled tomatoes", a typical Italian product that is well-known worldwide. Their particular elongated shape, the firm interior with no seeds and their bright red color make them unique and recognizable among the thousand existing varieties of tomatoes.
The second essential ingredient for a real pizza is mozzarella and especially the Campania–made mozzarella di bufala. This fresh cheese has a long history, even though in the past it was not for sale but was made and eaten by the family as it was so easy to come by.
The buffalo, originally from India, was introduced to Italy around the year 1000. Its milk, which contains more fat and protein and which is tastier than cow milk, was once used to produce other more mature types of cheese. Mozzarella di bufala has now been one of the most famous Campania products for more than a century. It is made with the genuine traditional old-fashioned methods: four and a half liters of buffalo milk are still needed to make one kilogram of Campania mozzarella.

Now let’s talk about pizza, starting with its thousands of years of history.
The forerunners to our pizzas were in fact served to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans: these were flat focaccia loaves that were flavored with herbs and spices.
When buffalo and tomatoes were imported to Italy, the pizza as we know it today began to be created.
Halfway between refined cuisine and a traditional working-class meal, the pizza became one of the main dishes and a symbol of the Neapolitan cooking culture starting from 1700. It was finally consecrated however in 1889, when the famous pizza maker Raffaele Esposito stepped over the threshold of the Reggia di Capodimonte and paid tribute to the Queen, Margherita di Savoia with three types of pizza. The one the queen liked best was toped with mozzarella fiordilatte, tomato and basil and was named Pizza Margherita in her honor.
Pizzas are available in most restaurants in Naples, where they are offered in a thousand varieties. However, as true purists, we recommend that you try the most typical pizza in Naples, the one with true Campania-made mozzarella di bufala: remember that you will only eat a pizza like this in Naples! One of the pizzerias we recommend is Brandi, a traditional pizzeria that dates back to 1780.
Well, after talking about pizza, don’t you fancy a glass of beer? Sorry to have to tell you this, but beer in Naples is only drunk and not made. But don’t worry: after a dinner full of special local products, you can allow yourself a foreign drink!
If you really want to drink something made locally, however, we will happily suggest some typical Campania wines.

LA SACRA PIZZA

Giovanni De Sio Cesari

La pizza napoletana è diversa dalle tante altre pizze che si fanno un po dappertutto nel vasto mondo: la pasta ha una lavorazione particolare e va cotta in forno a fascina: due cose non facili a trovarsi.

In origine nell'800 era piccola, e condita solo con un pò di olio e di pomodoro fresco: cibo povero per gente povera

Ora pero non si fa più cosi: stranamente cosi la ho trovata solo a Londra, in una catena di locali che pero ora non ci sono più: doveva essersi conservata in quella città come ricordo di qualche nipote di antico emigrante povero.

Dalla fine dell'800 invece in Napoli si inventò la margherita: con la mozzarella, con salsa passata e più grande e più sottile : ma era pur sempre cibo economico e popolare mangiato per strada ripiegata in quattro: saziava la grande fame di un tempo quando ancora la obesità non era un problema nazionale

Si vende ancora cosi nella città vecchia: mi disse un passante qualche anno fa che la pizza non era un cibo,era un rito: ed infatti quelli della mia generazione si accostano ad essa come alla comunione, cosa sacra che saziò la nostra fame giovanile : gli studenti usciti dalla università o dalle scuole si riversavano negli antichi vicoli ed acqustavano a poche lire quella pasta che riempiva la pancia e il cuore

Ricordo che c'era un pizzaiolo presso Santa Chiara che da un banco invitava tutti i ragazzi a gustarla chiamandoli:" ingegnere, avvocato ,professore " e ognuno a sentirsi chiamare cosi si sentiva allargare, oltre alla fame, il cuore perchè ogni studente è un sogno che cammina.

I più affamati compravano quelle fritte, ripiene di ogni cosa grassa che restasse sul bancone del salumiere: ma allora, come dicevo, la obesità non era ancora una calamità nazionale e la bulimia era parola sconosciuta e le ragazze un po in carne poi non si consideravano da buttar via. anzi

Ora la pizza è diventata un pò un cibo ricco, da mangiare al saba, è una base su cui poggiare ogni cosa.

Io mangio di tutto e tutto mi piace : pero non mangerei mai una pizza alle cozze. sarebbe un sacrilegio e anche un razionalista impenitente come me alla fine qualcosa di sacro pure lo trova