This is the difference between Neapolitan and Roman pizza
Colleague Sophie from Italiamo makes no secret of it. She is a huge fan of Neapolitan pizza. Sophie: ‘So I thought it was high time to explain exactly what makes this variety different from Roman pizza. Hoping to win you over to my favorite with a lesson in preparation methods and flavor differences, but you are also perfectly welcome to choose your own favorite.’
Neapolitan pizza
Just like me, the Neapolitans fight hard to establish their pizza as the only true one. They have even founded an association for it (which you can also visit yourself for a pizza-making course!). The Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana strictly ensures that nobody misuses the Neapolitan pizza, and is supported by the Specialità Tradizionale Garantita quality label, which is only awarded to products that meet authenticity requirements.
Officially, therefore, there are only three genuine Neapolitan pizzas: marinara, magherita and margherita extra. The pizza must also be round, no more than 35 cm in diameter, and the dough must consist only of tipo 00 flour, yeast, water and sea salt, stretched by hand, left to rest for at least six hours, and baked at 480 degrees Celsius in a wood-fired oven for no longer than 90 seconds. And the toppings must of course be authentic too, with a quality label. Just so you know. Forza Napoli!
Roman pizza
The Romans are considerably less strict than the Neapolitans. The dough for a Roman pizza consists of the same ingredients: flour, yeast and water, with a little olive oil added. During the process of turning the dough ball into a base, a rolling pin may be used, allowing the dough to be rolled out flatter and preventing the edges from rising as prominently. The Romans often take longer over the rising process, which takes place either in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Roman pizza may also stay in the oven longer, for up to a few minutes at ‘just’ 300 degrees. Electric ovens are not a sin here.
The difference in flavor between the pizzas
All well and good, this pizza talk, but what does it actually taste like? Neapolitan pizza is a little less greasy, with a base—especially the crust—that is more bread-like. And that is precisely what appeals to me; you can slide it down without feeling even the slightest bit guilty, I think. There is a little more salt in the dough, and the dough is made without oil. Because the dough rises only at room temperature, the pizza rises more. Airy bubbles form in the soft rim, and because they go in and out of the blazing-hot wood-fired oven in next to no time, you can still actually recognize mozzarella on your pizza instead of a puddle of melted cheese. It can get a little messy, because the raised rim makes the pizza somewhat wetter—but you can easily solve that by eating the pizza folded. If you really want to do it like they do in Naples, you can even fold it up like a wallet.
Roman pizza, which I should say I absolutely love too, contains some olive oil and is flatter. That, together with the longer baking time at a lower temperature, makes the pizza more brittle, more bronzed and crispier. The toppings are cooked through more thoroughly and can be anything and everything—except pineapple. You do not fold this one; you cut it with a knife. At the local bakery in Rome, you will also find it in an enormous, square shape in the display case, where you can choose the shape of your pizza al taglio and have it cut to size for you.
So… what are you? Team Neapolitan pizza or Team Roman pizza?
Also read:
- Tested: this is the very best pizza bread from the supermarket
- 5 very strange pizza toppings that are perfectly normal in other countries
- Recipe: Sheet-pan pizza with lemon pesto, mortadella, figs, stracciatella and pistachio
Source: Italiamo
