This pizzeria in Italy has sushi pizza on the menu
If you thought a Pizza Hawaii was the worst crime in Italian cuisine, you’re wrong. Because in my opinion, sushi pizza is still a little worse… That’s why I was incredibly surprised to find that this is actually on a menu. At a pizzeria. IN ITALY. How?
At pizzeria La Fenice, in Pistoia, Italy, the Uramaki Pizza Fusion is seriously on the menu—and as the name suggests, it really is a combination of pizza and sushi. Fun fact: you may know the town of Pistoia (near Florence) from B&B Vol Liefde, because Hans ran a bed and breakfast there with his ex-wife Libera.
Sushi pizza: what is the owner thinking?
Manuel Maiorano took over this pizzeria in 2019 and decided to radically change the menu and introduce sushi pizza. ‘I wanted to create a fusion dish that can be eaten cold and gives you a different sensation. When you put pizza in a box and take it home, it’s no longer the same quality as it is on your plate in the restaurant. So I researched the different elements that make up sushi and applied them to pizza.’
That actually sounds quite logical, although I still think it’s a dubious combination. Personally, I’d prefer to reheat the pizza once I’m home (and this is the best way to reheat your pizza), so it’s back at a good temperature—as if I want cold sushi, I’ll just order sushi. Still, this combination is catching on; it’s certainly bringing Maiorano plenty of publicity.
What does the Uramaki Pizza Fusion look like?
In the dough, sushi rice has been replaced with focaccia. Why? It stays crispy, even once the food has cooled down. ‘As for the toppings, I mainly used Italian products, but arranged them so that it looks like sushi.’ The menu has since been expanded and now includes four ‘sushi pizzas’, although I find that name a little misleading. The pizza is presented as sushi, but otherwise has little to do with the Japanese dish.
The four sushi pizzas on La Fenice’s menu are the Rosso di Sera (with salmon sashimi, cream cheese, toasted almonds, guacamole and dried lemon zest), the Marco Polo (with sashimi tuna marinated in soy sauce, wakame, sesame seeds, chive mayo and pistachios), the Radici (with beef tartare, crispy onions, pecorino fondue, teriyaki sauce and sriracha) and the Ebi (with tempura-fried shrimp, sweet-and-sour sauce, spicy stracciatella and lamb’s lettuce).
Award-winning pizzeria
Fun: the editorial team at VICE Italy went there to eat and wrote a review about it. They weren’t even all that negative—in fact, they thought it was quite tasty. So next time you’re near Florence and can’t look at any more pasta or pizza, just reserve a table at La Fenice. It’s actually a pretty good idea, because in 2022 they were named the best pizzeria by critics from Gambero Rosso and made the Top 100 of the best pizzerias, compiled by Top 50 Pizza (apparently, they’re not entirely faithful to their name). Maybe it’s worth giving it a chance after all?
Also read:
- Hey pizza lover, have you heard of pinsa?
- Kiwi pizza exists—for those who don’t think Hawaii goes far enough
- Pasta diva Sophia Loren’s recipe: fried pizza
Image: La Fenice
