National Heritage Pizza in Naples

Cool Hive Daily – Savory Saturday
Exploring Naples with my parents I feel I must share the wonders of Neopolitan pizza (Italian: pizza napoletana). This Perfect pie was recognized last December, 2017 by UNESCO as part of Naples important “intangible cultural heritage” for Humanity.
This style of pizza is not just made with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. It must be made with San Marzano tomatoes, which grow on the volcanic plains just south of Mount Vesuvius, and Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, a protected designation of cheese made with the milk from water buffalo raised only in the marshlands of Campania and Lazio where they live in a semi-wild state.The art of spinning the pizza dough also originates in ancient Naples, and has four distinct phases that involve preparing the dough, rolling it into the pizza, and baking it in a wood-fired oven while turning it at perfectly timed intervals to ensure even baking. The spinning of the dough in the air seems to not only add a theatrical Italian flair but to spin a thin layer of history into the perfect thickness of the pie.
These makers of this Pizza are revered craftspersons and spend years training in the art of spinning pies. Referred to as “pizzaiuoli,” and according to UNESCO they form a “living link” between generations. The most traditional Neapolitan pizza is called Pizza Margherita, Daisy Pizza and although seemingly simple, with just a few ingredients, tomato, sliced mozzarella, basil and extra virgin olive oil it explodes with a complexity of flavor mixed with the fire and history of these great ovens of time, creating something mouth watering and monumental. There are approximately 3,000 pizzaiuoli (pizza makers) in Naples yet it does not seem like enough, more so it doesn’t seem like I will have time to eat enough while on my visit. Article Daisy Carlson Photo by Alexandra Gorn