Pizza is one of the favourite dishes of a large percentage of the population, made of mace, cheese, tomato sauce, and various ingredients. This typical Italian dish has different ways of preparing it, but yes, we can say that in any way, it is delicious. In addition, it has a fantastic story; stay to know it.
Believe it or not, the history of pizza is related to bread, a portion of food created in ancient Egypt after discovering yeast. In the territory, they began to prepare bread with the shape and colour of the sun made from flour, water, and honey. After spreading to various parts of the world, it reached Greece, where it evolved, as other ingredients such as fat, spices, garlic, and onion were added.
Already close to the time of Darius I ‘the Great,’ it is told that the Persian soldiers put the bread that they were going to consume melted cheese and dates. In Italy, this innovation was known as “pizza Bianca,” It was prepared with the ingredients that we already mentioned later and considered available in most households with medium and low resources. Hence, it was a dish within reach of the majority.
After becoming a very common dish, one more characteristic was added, tomato sauce. The custom of consuming this fruit came from America much later, as the European continent considered it poisonous. Naples was commissioned in the 16th century to be the pioneer in the territory.
One day, due to his need to eat, a Neapolitan peasant ingested his bread accompanied by a tomato and discovered that it had an incredible taste. Immediately, realizing that it was not toxic, word began to spread about this event, and many humble people started to try it, later introducing it to their diet along with the dry bread that was already customary to taste.
The commercialization of this new format of “pizza Bianca,” which now contained tomato, began with local bakers. They used to cook the bread of families who did not have one in their homes in their ovens, observing the high demand that existed for the dish. So, they created their guild. As expected, it was very successful.
However, it was not until the 17th century in Naples, Italy, that pizza appeared as a popular dish as we know it today, and in 1830 the first pizzeria was finally opened, called “Port ‘Alba.”
After the king’s Don Umberto and Doña Margarita de Savoya tried this famous dish that a pizza maker cooked for them sometime later, people began to consume it much more because it was “the queen’s favourite dish.” Something they did that spread throughout Italy and quickly became one of the gastronomic symbols of the entire country and, most importantly, “a unifying element since everyone from the queen to the humblest peasant could eat it.” And well, everything else is history and we can enjoy it almost everywhere in the world.
Of course, with time it has innovated in its presentation, ingredients, additions, and especially in the dough, we will present the most popular types of dough because you should know that not all of them look or taste the same. They vary in terms of the kind of flour used, its maturation process, and even rest.
- The Neapolitan
This has a very swollen edge that can reach 3 centimetres, and you can recognize it by the typical black spots of burns that occur thanks to the wood oven because only this can cook this dough that requires reaching 480 ºC. Its dough is highly hydrated and takes up to 24 hours to ripen at room temperature. It is said to be soft and very digestible.
It is customary to have very few ingredients, 5 or 6 between tomato, mozzarella cheese, and basil, but it can have variants.
- The classic
This is typical of north-central Italy. It measures about 31 centimetres in diameter on average, and its edge is less than 2 centimetres high. It is common to cook it in an electric oven at a temperature between 300 and 330ºC. The dough needs to mature between 6 and 24 hours depending on the flour’s strength, which allows the ingredients to be varied much more. Any experiment can be done which will always end with a crisp finish on edge.
- The pizza ‘in Teglia’
It is usually cooked on a tray at a lower temperature (280 ºC) on iron plates and served in aluminium. Of course, a highly hydrated dough is needed so that it can be reheated later, so it is stretched, seasoned, and brought to the heat in large round or rectangular iron trays that are then displayed and cut into aluminium trays. It is pretty fluffy, but it has a slightly crunchy touch, and its ingredients can vary.
- The ‘lingua romana’ or ‘Pinsa Romana’
It is characterized by being large and having very high hydration, between 80% and 90%, since mixtures of different flours are usually used with different strengths, reaching up to 72 hours of maturation. It is made to be reheated and is often displayed on wood in which it has been baked, which is why it is also called ‘Pizza Alla Pala.’ It has something magical since if you reheat it does not harden. On the contrary, it returns to the hydration it had even when it came out of the oven for the first time. Those can be cooked in gas or electric ovens at temperatures of around 300ºC.
- The ‘Chicago’
This is very different from traditional Italian pizzas, as it is thick, crunchy, and has very high edges. Cornflour is included while making dough to achieve a good result for this food. Then it is baked in a metal mould with a pinch of oil. The ingredients that it carries, in the same way, can vary a lot.
- Argentina
Due to the substantial Italian emigration, there is a particular tradition and pizza influence. However, this type of dough is characterized by being thick, and a lot of yeast is used to promote fluffing. It should be noted that among the ingredients, the generosity in the application of cow mozzarella cheese stands out.
The world of pizzas is quite significant because you can find countless kinds. What you can’t forget is that whatever bites you give it should be enjoyed to the fullest. Celebrate this day of pizza with us, and do not stay with the craving!
