As a fan of Italian food, you must be familiar with Neapolitan Pizza, right? Moreover, the name of this pizza is the most widely known by most of the world's people. In fact, you will almost always find the menu in a pizza restaurant in any city.
But there are still many people who can't tell the difference between this pizza and other pizzas. So, so that you don't get confused and misguided, let's look at everything about this pizza!
This pizza, which can also be referred to as Pizza Napoletani, is the most authentic Italian pizza. Even though it looks simple without weird toppings, this classic pizza can still make it difficult for many people to move on. In fact, real Italians often get annoyed when a lot of toppings are added to their pizza.
The hallmark of this pizza, which is also known as the Napoli style pizza, is its topping which only consists of tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. In addition, some basil leaves that look like basil leaves are also often added on top. But, to make the original Napoletana Pizza, you have to use certain types of tomatoes and mozzarella, you know.
Another thing that distinguishes this authentic Italian pizza from the others is the baking process. To make this pizza in a classic style, you have to bake it in a wood-fired stone oven. Because it uses a high heat that reaches 800F, the pizza can only be baked for less than 90 seconds, you know.
Because of the baking process, so don't be surprised if this pizza has a thin and soft skin layer. In addition, you will find some spots on the outside that look charred but are still delicious to eat.
Ingredients for Neapolitan Pizza
Another thing that distinguishes this pizza from the others is of course the ingredients. Apparently, it's not just any tomato that can be used to make Pizza Napoletana according to the original recipe and taste, you know.
Launching from Backyard Brick Oves, the best tomatoes you can use to make this Naples-style pizza are the San Marzano tomatoes grown around Mount Vesuvius in the San Marzano area, Italy. Different from other tomatoes, this tomato has an oval shape resembling a pear with a bright red and thick skin.
You don't need to process the tomatoes to make tomato sauce. The original Napoletana pizza instead uses raw tomatoes that are crushed and extracted.
In addition, you also can't miss the mozzarella cheese which makes this pizza even more delicious. For the cheese, it would be better if you use fresh mozzarella made from cow's milk (fior di latte) or buffalo milk (mozzarella di buffalo). If you want something really classic, of course you have to use mozzarella from buffalo milk, which comes from Campania, Italy.
Compared to cheese from cow's milk, mozzarella in buffalo is creamier, softer, contains more fat, and is richer in flavor. Unfortunately, this mozzarella in buffalo is more expensive and harder to find nowadays.
History of Neapolitan Pizza
Launching from The Spruce Eats, this Neapolitan Pizza comes from the City of Naples or Naples in Italy. That's why it's called the Naples style pizza. However, this pizza turned out to be an innovation of the Naples when processing bread that had existed since ancient times.
At that time, the name was still flatbreads or flatbreads which are said to have been first made by the Greeks, not the Italians. The bread was still plain at first, with no additional toppings at all. Moreover, at that time, the Italian people still did not dare to use tomatoes as food ingredients.
The tomato fruit itself was first introduced to European countries in the 16th century by explorers who had just returned from Peru. However, many think the fruit is poisonous, so they are afraid to eat it.
Well, the tomatoes were eventually used by farmers and commoners who were too poor to buy food. They finally began to spread the tomatoes on the flatbread they baked in the late 18th century.
Who would have thought, flatbread with tomatoes on it became popular. Many people from other areas come to the poor village of Naples just to taste the special dishes of the city.