Napoletana which is still considered a traditional form of Italian pizza was first invented in 1984. The genius behind this creation set a prescribed number of rules that went into making this sensational dish. Some of these rules included that the pizza be made in a wooden oven which is still widely used in the country side of Italy. They use a gigantic spatula in inserting and removing the pizza from this old- fashioned oven that brings out the real flavour of Pizza.
The dough is kneaded purely by hand, without the use of modern machinery or kitchen tools such as the rolling pin. There were specifications regarding the size and even thickness of the pizza as great care went into making them. It almost became a religion that Italians even today swear by! Infact, they have a pizzeria in Naples at the exact same site that pizza was invented; hanging on the walls are pictures of the chefs involved in the making of pizza as a way to commemorate the birth of this dish.
As the pizza making became a philosophy in itself, some chefs were even more particular about the ingredients that were being used in the dish, taking painstaking care into careful detailing. The tomatoes for example were only taken from a certain mountain slope and olive oil was sprinkled in a specific pattern.
Pizza making its entry into America
America is a melting pot of multi-ethnicities. As such, there were immigrants from all parts of the world, particularly Europe who made their way into the subcontinent. Italians made for a significant part of this population who were more in number in certain cities such as New York, Chicago and Philadelphia. They would sell pizza on the streets for a farthing but soon this dish became a part of the menu in established food chains, exclusively targeting the Italian American community.
It slowly started gaining recognition and the word became a part of the press, namely “The Boston Journal” This gave rise to the first pizzeria in America which was built in Chicago.
Today, we have thousands of pizza chains across the world. America alone has a multitude of booming million dollar enterprises. There is the Little Caesars that is the third largest pizza chain in America, some other trendy brands like Chuck- E Cheese that was founded during the 1970’s, the California Pizza kitchen that is known for its novel and unconventional cooking concepts and some relatively newer restaurants like the Double Pizza that strive towards using quality ingredients.
