CULINARY INFO
Pizza

The word - "Pizza"
The word "pizza" is said to have originated from the old Italian word for "a point." Over time, this word evolved into the Italian "pizziare," meaning to pinch or to pluck. The word is thought to have first appeared around 100 BC in the Neapolitan dialect.

The dish - "Pizza"
While the Italians are credited with creating pizza as we know it today, the pie might have actually derived from the Etruscan and Greek cultures. From Asia Minor, the Etruscan's baked a crude form of bread beneath the stones of their fires. After cooking, the bread was seasoned with various toppings and served as a side dish. Eventually this form of pizza evolved into present-day focaccia. The Greeks, who ate flat round bread (plankuntos) baked with an assortment of toppings.

When the Greeks colonised southern Italy, they took the Etruscan contribution and baked a layer of toppings on the bread. This newly configured "pizza" became the main course of the meal. The Romans, however, are rightly credited with spreading pizza throughout Italy and other areas of their empire. The great Roman statesman and orator Cicero described pizza as "flat rounds of dough dressed with olive oil; herbs and honey and baked on stones."

The tomato came to Italy from Mexico and Peru through Spain in the 16th century as an ornamental plant first thought to be poisonous. True mozzarella is made from the milk of the water buffalo imported from India in the 7th century and was not widely available as a cheese product in Southern Italy and Campania until the second half of the eighteenth century.

In 1830 the world's first true pizzeria, Antica Pizzeria Port' Alba, opened and is still in business today at Via Port'Alba 18 in Naples! The world's best and unarguably the most authentic pizza is Pizza Napoletana (Neapolitan Pizza), which maintains its pre-eminence through the quality of the local products - herbs, garlic, and tomatoes grown in the volcanic ash of Vesuvius and fresh mozzarella - and the artistry of the pizzaioli, the pizza makers.

Considered a peasant's meal in Italy for centuries, the modern pizza is attributed to baker Raffaele Esposito of Napoli (Naples) in the Italian region of Campania. In 1889, Esposito of Pizzeria di Pietro (now called Pizzeria Brandi) baked pizza especially for the visit of the Italian King; Umberto I and Queen Margherita and for one of the pizzas embellished the classic pizza alla marinara with mozzarella and basil. The pizza was very patriotic and resembled the Italian flag with its colours of green (basil), white (mozzarella), and red (tomatoes) and was favoured by the Queen. This pizza was named "pizza Margherita" after the Queen and set the standard by which today's pizza evolved, as well as firmly establishing Naples as the pizza capitol of the world.

The verapizzanapoletana sets down the rules for ingredients of the dough and cooking by which its member pizzerias must abide. Simply stated, dough is made only with flour, natural yeast or brewers yeast, salt and water. Dough must be kneaded by hand or mixers which do not cause the dough to overheat, and the dough must be punched down and shaped by hand. The oven must be a wood burning oven and structured in a bell shape and of special brick with the floor of the pizza oven constructed of volcanic stone. The cooking of the pizza must take place on the surface of the oven and not in any pan or container with oven temperatures reaching at least 750-800° F.

Pizza migrated to America with the Italians in the latter half of the 19th century. The first pizza was sold in America as "bakers focaccia" to Italian immigrants, who rented bakers' ovens during the time of day when business was slow. The immigrants saved some extra bread and served it with tomato to hungry children.

Eventually, the Italian immigrants were able to afford direct purchases of bread consisting of dough, tomato puree, oregano, basil and grated Romano Cheese. By the turn of the century, Italians had begun to open their own bakeries and were selling groceries as well as pizza.

Gennaro Lombardi opened the first true U.S. pizzeria in 1905 in New York City at 53 1/3 Spring Street : LOMBARDIS it has been reopened at 32 Spring Street).

It wasn't until after World War II when returning GI's created a nation-wide demand for the pizza they had eaten and loved in Italy that pizza went public.

In the late 1950's, Pizza Hut, Shakey's and various other mass production pizza parlours appeared and further popularised pizza.

ITALIAN REGIONAL CUISINE
Until 1891 Italy was a collection of independent states, each with its own laws, customs and traditions. Naturally becoming one country, did and does not mean those regional customs and traditions were lost.

There is a particularly marked difference between northern and southern Italy; regions in the north tend to be more industrialised and prosperous than those in the south, with the northern soil being more fertile.

The differences in cuisine is that the northern Italians tend to prefer the flatter pasta and cook with butter, whereas those in the south tend towards the tubular varieties and prefer the use of olive oil.

Well known pasta dishes from the northern province of Liguria include ravioli and minestrone soup. The rice growing area in the Po Valley, just behind Venice, provides abundant supplies of arboreo rice. This especially absorbent rice is the basis for risottos and an excellent way of stretching small amounts of fish and meat to feed a large family. Many delicious, creamy risotto recipes have evolved: risotto Milanaise from Lombardy must be one of the best known. Two of the most famous products of the north are Parmesan cheese and prosciutto (Parma) ham. Parmesan cheese is at its best after two years of drying and maturing, it becomes stronger the longer it is left. The whey from the cheese is fed to the Parma pigs and combined with the careful salting and drying processes on the hillsides, results in the delicately flavoured ham.

As Italy is virtually surrounded by the sea, locally caught fish are a dominant feature of most regional cuisines. Venice is particularly noted for its red and grey mullet, squid, scampi and mussels. In the north, sea fish supplies are supplemented by excellent fresh water fish from the lakes of Lombardy, especially eels.

Southern provinces
The southern coast and the islands of Sicily and Sardinia are dotted with fishing villages. Here tuna, sardines, swordfish and a variety of shellfish are caught and used locally in pasta dishes, sauces, soups, stews and salads.