The world's most popular food
I think we are all slightly obsessed with pizza. If you have ever been in a group of people and someone asked if pizza should be ordered, the answer is always yes!
I love pizza. The thin crust, cheesy, salty, crunchy, round dish topped with whatever you decide. It's great when it's served hot and sometimes tastes even better when you have it cold, eaten over the kitchen sink. It's the ultimate comfort food.
I grew up eating think slices pizza cut into small cubes, when our extended family gathered together to celebrate birthday's and holidays. They were prepared by little Nonna's in my extended family who were from the South of Italy. Their pizza was almost like a pillow like focaccia, with a red sauce and some toppings. Chewy and filling, nothing like a slice of pizza from a pizzeria.
Pizza is a very democratic food. People of all ages and ethnicities can join together and dig in to a couple of slices together. It's the type of food that pleases everyone, vegetarian, vegan and meat eater alike.
There are so many different styles and flavours. Everywhere in the world has their version of what they call a pizza. It's a dish that can be eaten with your hands or a fork and knife. Thick or thin crust, Detroit style, deep dish or Neapolitan are just some of the styles that have been adapted to cultures from all over world.
I remember when I was in Rome, looking into the display case of the Pizza al Taglio spot on the corner of a street outside Termini station. Al Taglio pizza is a style originated in Rome, where you purchase your pizza slice by weight and size. Many pizzerias in the city are designed this way and you are meant to get the pizza and take it out. You will often see a group gathered outside or around corners devouring slices, while standing up.
I couldn't believe how many flavours there were in this Pizzeria and how great everything looked. So fresh and appealing to the customers walking in and yelling over the counter. The lady who was working there asked me what I wanted and I yelled back with my choice. She gestured with her hands to make the size of the piece I wanted and I nodded excitedly. She warmed it up and I paid her. I said thanks as I walked out excitedly, since I was starving.
I sat down on the curb of a side street, with cars and scooters going by and took a bite of the slice in front of me. I'm not sure if I was just really hungry or if it was really a great slice of pizza, but it was over 10 years ago and I still remember this moment. The pizza had many different colours of zucchini and melted cheese on it with little specks of arugula dotted on the top, gleaming with oil.
No-one can deny the Italian's as the Kings of current day pizza. With the history being somewhat unknown, possibly originating in Greece or Persia, the Italians have revolutionized it to an upscale dinner option.
How simple can a dish be after all? It's just a bit of dough with some sauce and cheese right? Well, no it's not just that. It's the perfect marriage of all those things and more once it's baked to a crispness in the oven. It almost creates a cracker like vessel for all the toppings.
I have never been to Napoli, but I know it is considered that mecca for pizza. Neapolitan people view pizza with an intense passion and have made a trademark for what a Margherita pizza can be. There are even Pizzaiolos, or Masters of Pizza, who are experts and craftsmen in the category of pizza making.
Pizza represents Italian cooking to it's fullest. The dish lets the ingredients that are in season speak for themselves. The dough is almost a vessel for the toppings to be shown. The marriage of crunchy and chewy, salty and savoury, herbal and sweet.
It is a very transversal food, eaten out at a fancy restaurant or made at home. There is almost a special technique of eating it and not spilling it all over yourself, while you fold it together. It's one of those foods that bring people together and make them gather around a table. It's something you buy your sports team as an award or give to your friends after they helped you move into your new home. You share stories and laugh and most of the time you don't even eat it over a plate.
This week I made Pizza al Taglio style and ate it with my parents. It made us happy. Our stomachs were filled and our hearts were warm. We gathered, we ate and we were happy.
*to learn more about Napoli and Pizza al Taglio, read Pasta, Pane, Vino by Matt Goulding
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