History of pizza
As far back as ancient Greece and Rome, flatbread or slices of bread with toppings and cheese were popular. Such "sandwiches" were convenient to take with you on the road or to war and were enjoyed by people of all classes. The ancient Roman sybarite and cook Marcus Gabius Apicius in the first century B.C. included a recipe for the first Italian pizza in his gastronomic ten volumes. It was suggested that the dough be laced with:
olive oil with aromatic herbs,
pepper,
garlic,
cheese,
olives and olives,
mint and basil,
chicken, fish and seafood.
Tomatoes and tomato paste, without which it is impossible to imagine pizza, got on the list of ingredients only in the 16th century, when they were brought to the Old World from the New World. And in the next century there was a separate kind of baker - pizzaiolo.
The word "pizza" itself first appeared in a Latin text in 997: a Byzantine document stated that house tenants in the Italian city of Gaeta "are obliged to give their bishop a dozen pizzas with sauce at every Christmas holiday, and the same amount at Easter".
How did Margarita pizza come to be?
Not only soldiers, shepherds and peasants loved this dish. For example, King Ferdinand IV of Naples and his wife Marie-Caroline of Hapsburg-Lorraine loved pizza.
And in honor of the wife of the second Italian King Umberto I, Margaret of Savoy, was named one of the most popular pizza varieties in the world. But some historians believe that this is just a beautiful legend. But what is known is that it was in the XIX century finally formed the canonical recipe for Margherita pizza. It consisted of:
thinly rolled dough with the best quality olive oil,
a tomato sauce made of fresh or pickled tomatoes,
mozzarella,
parmesan,
dried chopped basil,
fresh basil leaves.
Sailor's Pizza.
Another classic pizza that's considered Neapolitan, it translates to "marinara" or "sailor's pizza." But "marinara" is not necessarily made with fish or shrimp toppings, as one might think. Sailors, who spent a lot of time at sea, prepared it with tomato sauce, oil, aromatic herbs: oregano, basil, thyme, and with the addition of garlic and onions.
The oldest pizza in the world
The unusual format of Quattro stagioni (or "Four Seasons") pizza was invented in 1660. It was divided into four parts and topped in sectors: mushrooms and eggs for "winter", seafood for "spring", Salame sausage for "summer", and tomatoes and olives for "autumn". On top of a classic pizza recipe, all generously sprinkled with chopped or dried herbs and mozzarella, which in the oven gives a crisp crust.
What else is pizza made with?
Pizza is made all over the planet, and each country has its own original recipe. In Brazil, green peas are added to pizza. Mexican pizza comes with corn and even chocolate. The Japanese make pizza with eel and seaweed, and the Australians make pizza with crocodile meat. The Hawaiian pineapple pizza recipe is beloved in the United States and Australia, but it has nothing to do with Hawaii. The dough, too, can be different: not only from regular flour, but also from rye flour, as well as on the basis of potatoes or zucchini.
What is the difference between Neapolitan and Roman pizza
Italy also has its own canons for making pizza. Proper Roman pizza is made on a crispy thin base, while Neapolitan pizza is made on a soft and puffy base. For pizza, you can take not only moracella, but also good hard Parmesan cheese or flavored goat cheeses, blue varieties with mold.
The right dough and the right pizza oven
The main rule of a true pizzaiolo is that the pizza should be baked for exactly two minutes and only in an Italian wood-fired oven at 490° C. The pizza dough used to be kneaded with your feet, but now you're unlikely to see that in a restaurant. Kneading dough with a food processor will be looked upon with obvious disapproval in Italy.
Here is a simple and good recipe on how to make real pizza at home: we suggest starting with "Margarita", the dough will be like in Italy.
Ingredients
Dough for the pizza:
Yeast: 1 tbsp.
Sugar: 1 tbsp.
Water: 4-5 tbsp.
Hot water (45 ° C): ¾ cup
Flour: 500 grams
Salt: ½ tsp.
Olive oil: 2 tbsp.
Stuffing and sauce:
Peeled tomatoes (you can use pickled tomatoes in their own juice): 400g
Garlic: 3-4 cloves, squeeze out
Dried basil: 1 tbsp.
Dried oregano: 1 tbsp.
Fresh basil: 15 leaves
Olive oil: 1 tbsp.
Salt, ground black pepper: to taste
Mozzarella: 150-170 grams
Preparation
Dissolve sugar in 4-5 tablespoons of warm water, add good yeast and 20 grams (a couple of tablespoons) of flour, mix. Leave for 20 minutes in a warm place, the batter will start to bubble and rise.
Sift the flour on the kitchen table, make a hole in it, add the ingredients: salt, olive oil, starter and half of the hot water. If the dough is too stiff, add water a little at a time. Knead the dough with your hands until smooth for about 10 minutes, then cover it with a napkin or towel and leave for an hour (during this time it should rise twice).
The secret: this is how you get a porous and crispy thin base.
Chop the tomatoes, add the garlic, dried basil and oregano, olive oil, pepper and salt and stew in olive oil for 30 minutes until the sauce thickens. Cool, stirring, for 15 minutes.
Stretch the risen pizza dough into thin flat sheets about five millimeters thick by hand and place gently on a baking tray. Brush the dough with sauce, put fresh basil leaves and sprinkle with mozzarella.
Bake in preheated oven at 200° C for about 25 minutes (you should see a nice ruddy crust on the cheese). The secret is not to overcook the dish: it's better to turn off the fire earlier and just leave the pizza in the oven for an extra few minutes.
Once you've mastered a basic homemade pizza recipe, you can complicate the toppings using the same delicious dough. Homemade pizza can have ingredients such as:
anchovies,
seafood,
mushrooms,
salami sausage cut into thin slices,
Sweet peppers cut into thin slices,
stuffing stewed in tomato sauce,
fried chicken filet,
tuna, sliced thinly,
as a sprinkle you can take several kinds of cheese (this is how pizza Quattro formaggi ("Four Cheeses") is prepared.
And remember, the secret to authentic Italian pizza is a good mood: pizzaiolo loudly sing songs and have fun while cooking. Make it a rule to leave all bad thoughts out of the kitchen and only take fresh, high-quality ingredients.
What can you do?
Throw an Italian party! Gather your guests, learn a few hot Italian gestures, make pizza, and plan a vacation to Italy.
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