5 Interesting Facts About Neapolitan Pizza
Neapolitan pizza is perhaps the most widely-recognised dish to come out of Italy. We all know that roundly-shaped sourdough bread with a delicious tomato sauce slathered on top. It is truly an international favourite - whatever country you go - they always seem to love pizza. And we can’t blame them; the dish is delicious! To commemorate our latest addition to Miramonti Boutique Hotel - the Pizzeria - we have compiled five exciting facts about the world-famous pizza itself.
THERE ARE ONLY 3 TYPES OF ‘GENUINE’ NEAPOLITAN PIZZA
Did you know, there are only three types of Neapolitan pizza? I know, it’s hard to believe when there are different varieties of pizzas out in restaurants. But honestly, Neapolitan pizza is simple! The Italian Ministry of Culture recognises these three types as the real deal:
Pizza Napoletana Mariana - Simply prepared with tomato sauce, oregano, garlic and olive oil.
Pizza Napoletana Margherita - Perhaps the most popular variation, the Margherita consists of sliced mozzarella STG or Fior di Latte, and fresh basil leaves.
Pizza Napoletana Margherita Extra - Similar to the Margherita, but instead of mozzarella, mozzarella bufala DOP is used instead.
So, if you want to try the genuine Neapolitan pizza, look out only for these ingredients.
2. Authentic ingredients
The authenticity of a Neapolitan pizza is serious business. The process and the ingredients must adhere to specific regulations to be able to be classified as a ‘genuine’ Neapolitan pizza. For instance, the tomatoes used must be raw, pureed San Marzano tomatoes from Italy. For the Italian cheese, it should be made from mozzarella, fior di latte or mozzarella di bufala. Lastly, it should be topped with fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil.
In the spirit of authentic Neapolitan pizza, we made sure to use authentic ingredients for our pizzeria by using San Marzano DOP and Mozzarella from the Agerola DOP consortium - simply the best you can find.
3. wood-fired ovens only
The typical oven used to make Neapolitan pizza should be wood-fired. The reason why this is the case is that the flame allows the crust to rise - otherwise - the pizza will end up being flat. After cooking, the crust should be thin and soft, with charred spots dotted around. In Albergo Miramonti, we recently opened a pizzeria section for our restaurant, allowing you to watch our pizza chef working his magic.
3. TOMATOES DID NOT EXIST IN ITALY
As you know, pizza is made with tomatoes and cheese. But did you know, before the 1700s, tomatoes did not exist in Italy? It was only until 16th-century explorers from Europe brought the fruit to Italy. At first, people avoided eating tomatoes as they believed they were poisonous, but all of a sudden, poor Napoli residents started to use tomato on top of flatbreads. The Italians started trying the dish - and they loved it! People began travelling to Naples to try the brand new speciality - the Neapolitan Pizza.
4. Margherita pizza resembles the italian flag
It was said that the baker Raffaele Esposito, baked a pizza for the King and Queen in 1889. The pizza itself resembled the colours of the Italian flag, tomatoes for red, white for mozzarella and green for basil leaves. And voila! The famous classic Margherita pizza was invented.
Why not stay at Miramonti Boutique Hotel? We are located within the Alps, with a Hotel Spa, relaxing Cigar Lounge and an Italian Restaurant that serves local Valtellina Cuisine.
For more articles about the Italian Alps and Northern Italy, read our blog: