Originated in the southern city of Naples in Italy, Neapolitan pizza was said to have been created in the late 1800s. When King Umberto I and queen Margherita of Savoy visited Naples, Baker Raffaele Esposito who worked at a Naples pizzeria called "Pietro... e basta così," baked them a special pizza in honour of the queen's colours, which also mirrored the colours of the Italian flag. The pizza was topped with tomatoes (red), mozzarella cheese (white) and fresh basil leaves (green). This tasty combination makes up the classic Neapolitan pizza that we all still know and love today.
When Neapolitan pizza comes out of the oven, it should have a soft, thin crust that will bubble up and char if it's been cooked at the right temperature. Neapolitan pizza is cooked at a very high temperature for no more than 90 seconds.
Everything you need to know about authentic Neapolitan pizza
Tradition says that an authentic Neapolitan pizza must have a dough that's made with highly refined Italian type 0 or 00 wheat flour, Neapolitan or fresh brewer's yeast, water and salt. The dough should be kneaded either by hand or with a mixer (only a lower speed is needed for the kneading process) and then formed by hand. No rolling pin allowed!
The dough is then topped with raw, pureed san Marzano tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. The cheese can either be fior di latte, which is made from cow's milk or mozzarella di Bufala, which is made from the milk of a water buffalo. The fresher, the better!
The final toppings to a traditional Neapolitan pizza are fresh basil leaves and a generous amount of extra-virgin olive oil. Doesn't that sound Doughlicious?
If you've tried Neapolitan pizza then you may notice that there is often more sauce than cheese on top, making it wetter in the middle - this is why it's not common to see Neapolitan pizza served by the slice. Who ever wants just one slice of pizza anyway?
So what is Neapolitan-style pizza?
Neapolitan-style pizza is a bit more adventurous than your classic Neapolitan pizza. Although most Neapolitan-style pizzas typically use the same core ingredients as the traditional Neapolitan, you may notice that Neapolitan-style pizzas have different toppings. The Hawaiian pizza, which is a pizza topped with ham and pineapple, is a delicious example of a Neapolitan-style pizza. If you want to be taken on a food adventure then the Hawaiian pizza is definitely an experience.
We do love our classic Margherita, which is topped with San Marzano tomato sauce, mozzarella fior di latte, basil, extra virgin olive oil and oregano, but it's fun to experiment with different flavour combinations! Luckily for us, our chefs love thinking of ways to bring together new flavours with our high quality Italian ingredients.
Before we opened our doors in Ware, we spent years perfecting our dough recipe so that we can bring fresh, restaurant quality pizza to your door. With our unique dough and the premium Italian ingredients that we’ve sourced for our toppings are what makes our pizzas the genuine article.
To find out more about Neapolitan pizza and its ingredients, check out The Fuoco’s Glossary.
