Everyone knows that Italy is famous for being the home of pizza, but do you know that in Italy there are two types of pizza, very different one from the other?
You thought you knew Italian pizza very well? But did you know that pizza in Italy is divided into two main types? Pizza Napoletana (Neapolitan pizza) and the Pizza Romana (Roman pizza)!
Pizza Napoletana (Neapolitan Pizza)
Neapolitan pizza, typical of the Campania region (but widespread throughout Italy), is characterized by being soft and with an unmistakable very high edge. Its dough is quite thick, which makes it ideal for those who are really hungry! They use no fat in the dough and add lots of water to make it wet and sticky.
Neapolitan-style pizza’s crust is made with just flour, water, yeast and salt (no oil), giving it its characteristic fluffy, thick consistency. The toppings are concentrated in the middle and the pizza itself is much smaller than Roman pizza because it’s much more filling.
In Naples, they are so evangelical about their crust that they use hardly any toppings to garnish their pizza. In the most traditional pizzerias, they only make two types of pizza: Marinara (tomatoes, garlic, oregano and olive oil) or Margherita (tomato, mozzarella, basil and olive oil). It is basically impossible not to be satisfied with a Neapolitan pizza!
Pizza Romana (Roman pizza)
Roman pizza, instead, typical of the Lazio region (but which can now be found throughout the peninsula and beyond), is characterized by being very thin and crunchy. Its edge, moreover, is low, so it is very easy to distinguish it from the Neapolitan pizza!
Its toppings cover nearly every inch of the pizza, leaving only the smallest amount of crust to hold on to. The crust is made with flour, water, yeast, salt, and olive oil, the latter of which is essential to give the crust more weight and allow it to be hand-stretched as thin as it is.
All over Rome, you can find round pizza or ‘al taglio’ which is by the slice.
Long strips of pizza are topped with the most delicious toppings and then cut and sold by weight and wrapped in paper. It is original Roman street food and it is an institution of the city loved by all but you can also find it all over Italy.
Which one is the best? Well, that’s up to you to decide, trying both of them!
Source(s): Learnamo, Inromecooking, Ginamussio