For the Neapolitans, pizza is part of everyday life.
Legend has it that in 1889, in the restaurant The Brandi, the Queen of Savoy was served a pizza made specially for her in the colours of the national flag; a red tomato base, a white mozzarella topping and to finish, a sprig of green basil.
A simple ingenious combination of tastes, which was named after the Queen – Margherita.
Today the Margherita is sold in every corner of the globe but so often it looks and tastes like a plastic impersonation.
So now, after years of gastronomic hand-wringing, the proud pizza makers of Naples are taking back what is rightfully theirs.
Regional speciality
From this summer onwards the Pizza Napolitana will be recognised by the European Union as a “regional speciality”, with the same rank as French Champagne or German beer, which means anyone selling it in Europe under the official title, Pizza Napolitana, should theoretically be subject to strict inspections.
The rules published in the European Union’s Official Journal were drawn up by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana (the True Neapolitan Pizza Association).
The new law states the pizza must be no more than 35cm (14in) in diameter and no thicker than a third of a centimetre at its centre, rising to 2cm at the crust.
The tomatoes must be the San Marzano variety grown in the fertile soil at Mount Vesuvius’ base.
The oil: extra virgin; the cheese: buffalo mozzarella. All the ingredients must be from the Campania region.
The oven must be wood-fired, and the pizza must cook in less than two minutes.
