pizza unchained

Know Your Pizza

#PizzaUnesco

Many people outside of Italy believes that pizza is a fattening junk food that leads to
obesity. In my opinion, this is because they only know bad pizza from fast food pizza
chains. 
As a backlash, a movement has started in Italy. Their aim is to keep the traditional
knowledge  of making Neapolitan pizza alive. The art of Neapolitan pizza making is now
(2018) on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Bad Pizza Leads To obesity

The top consumers of pizza in the world are the U.S. (13 kg per person a year), Italy
(7.5 kg per person a year), Spain (4.2 kg per person a year), France (4.1 kg per person
a year), U.K. (4 kg per person a year) Belgium (3.8 kg per person a year), Portugal (3.5
kg per person a year) and Austria (3.2 kg per person a year). 
In regards to prevalence of obesity (see chart on next page), Italians are slimmer than
British, although they eat almost twice as much pizza. This suggests that there is no
direct correlation between consumption of pizza and obesity.
In U.S. and U.K. obesity is was the highest. This implies a correlation between junk
food, such as chain pizza, and obesity, and not pizza per se.

 

A Good Pizza Is A Pizza Unchained

An authentic Italian, healthy and fresh pizza does not lead to obesity. Whereas But junk
food and , chain pizza included, leads to obesity , not pizza in itself.
Although the amount of calories (kcal per 100g) in a pizza is similar despite of
whethereather it is a bad or a good pizzaa, on condition that you are looking at kcal per
100 g. This since the difference between a chained and unchained pizza is found in
the weight, not in the size:
A good 12” Margherita pizza weights 300 g and has 800 kcal. 
A 12” chain pepperoni pizza with extra cheese weights at least 600 g and contains
calories greater than >2000 kcal.
In Italy a full pizza is considered to be a meal for one, i.e. not meant to be shared. The
ones sold by the slice or shared are usually bad pizzas; naturally, since the
amount s of calories are way too high for a meal for one. 
A well-known marketing and money-saving strategy for pizza chains, also found among
bad pizzerias, is to save on quality and spend on quantity. Excess of industrial low
quality cheese and elaborated toppings is put on the pizza to attract customers and
justify the increments in price and make customers believe it is a “good value for
money”.

But, let us analyze the costs of a good Margherita pizza for a restaurant: An Indian
quality flour cost around 5 rupees.; An imported Italian raw tomatoes cost 10–15
rupees.; A good quality Indian mozzarella cost 50 rupees.; herbs, olive oil, yeast, salt,
etc., cost 5 – 10 rupees. In total a restaurant spends around 70 – 80 rupees for good
quality ingredients in a pizza Margherita. If you spend half the amount on bad quality
ingredients, you will save 30 – 40 rupees. However, those rupees you saved, you
will most likely to spend by adding extra toppings on your pizza!
A fresh pizza made from mature dough and high quality ingredients does not give any

discomfort, such as an upset stomach or feeling of heaviness. However, a bad pizza
does. If the dough is not rested enough, your stomach will be upset. I have seen this in
many places where the knowledge about dough fermentation is insufficient.
Unskilled pizza makers use too much yeast and make a fast risen dough. : imagine a
dough that continue to ferment after you eat it.
An authentic Italian pizza does not leave you with a feeling of heaviness, but bad pizza
does. What causes the feeling of heaviness is excessive use of low quality fat to make
the pizza crispy and stay stiff when you grab a slice. A slice from a good healthy pizza,
topped with extra virgin olive oil , which is a mono saturated fat that is healthier and has
antioxidant, will bend when you pick it up. This since its ingredients has high water
content (mozzarella and raw tomato). If your pizza does not bend, it is probably a bad
pizza!

The Pizzaiolo

Pizzaiolo means Pizza Maker in Italian. In Italy a decent Pizza Maker is respected and
well paid. A good Italian Pizza Maker is probably a second or third generation of a family
of Pizza Makers. Some of them have their own secret recipe that they never share with
anyone.
An Italian Pizza Maker might be expensive and hard to get in India. However, an Indian
Pizza Maker most probably does will not know how to make an authentic good pizza.
Even the chefs, who, that are often are expected to cook many different cuisines, does
not have the skills to make a good pizza.
I suggest the owners get involved with a hands on approach. This would make sure
ensure an overall better outcome and less dependability on the employees. For
example,: in case f your Pizza Maker would joins another company, you can
trarainin a new one.

Pizza Types
Thin Crust Is Not Italian

In India, during the last two decades, I have witnessed a change from low quality chain
pizzas to “thin crust” pizzas. The later one is in India is still considered the “gourmet
alternative”. The thin crust is also one of the most common pizzas internationally. The
thin crust is generally unchained but beside that it does not have any of the features that
 characterize a good pizza. You do not need ingredients of specific quality or
freshness to make a thin crust pizza. Neither does it need a skilled pizza maker as , the
pizza base is often stretched with a rolling-pin. You do not even need a wood fired oven
since it is cooked at lower temperature than Italian pizzas. 
The one who makes thin crust is aiming to distinguish themselves from the chain pizza,
commonly known as unhealthy, by offering a thin crust and pushing it as the “gourmet”
or “authentic”. Since they will not cater to the connoisseurs, they offer an alternative to
chain pizza. By doing that they satisfy the one who does not like chain pizza, by making
the it thinner and crisper. English-speaking celebrities in media are pushing the
“thin crust” pizza as the Italian pizza and using fancy words to sell it. In reality, they are
choosing the most commercial Italian pizza and making it even more commercial by
adding any random topping. Often it comes with a zigzag of sauce on top, or with
ketchup. This would not happen in Italy. In my opinion, the thin crust is a thinner version
of the chain pizza.

Pizza Napoletana – The Original

Pizza has been made in Naples since the 18th century. During this time, Naples was
one of the largest cities in Europe. Most citizens did not have access to a kitchen. Pizza
was common food and sold in every corner of the streets. 
Their dough has a high water content and does not contain any fat. This makes the
pizza very soft and chewy. The Leopard spotting happens when the pizza cooks above
400°C for around 60 seconds.
The rim has a lot of air since the Pizza Maker, while stretching the pizza, pushes the air
in the dough towards the edge with his hands.  

Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana

The Vera Pizza Neapolitan is the only pizza that has a fixed standard (see Appendix I)
that is regulated by Associazione Verace Napoletana (AVPN). AVPN is a nonprofit
organization, founded in Naples 1984 to promote and protect the original
Neapolitan pizza. The standard covers everything, from the brands of the ingredients, to
the methods of making and cooking. 
The AVPN pizza only comes in two varieties: Marinara and Margherita. The pizza cooks
in special Neapolitan brick ovens , at a temperature above 400°C for around one
minute.
The AVPN standard hasn’t yet never been obtained in a pizzeria in India. My
reason behind explaining you what is the standard are mainly informative.

Pizza Classica – The Common Pizza

Pizza Classica is the most common pizza in Italy and, it is also popular among pizza
connoisseurs. The dough has a high water content, contains a little oil, and cooks at a
slightly lower temperature than the Neapolitan Pizza. It is generally thinner than the
Neapolitan but thicker than the Romana (see next page). Also the shape of the Classic
Pizza is generally round similar to , just like the Neapolitan Pizza.
There are many variations of the Classic Pizza. There is no disciplinary. So all the
pizzerias decide their varieties. The dough is either Straight or Polish (see page 20),
and made with different flour such as brown wheat flour, Khorasan wheat flour , or even
gluten-free flour. Many pizzerias also offer “white pizza” which is a pizza without
tomato sauce.

Pizza Romana – The Crispy Pizza

Romana Pizza has low water content in the dough, sometimes to a point that its
hardness makes it impossible to stretch by hands. The dough has usually seeds oil. The
Seeds oil is, used, although it is a lower quality fat, is used because it helps to make
the pizza crispy. 
Romana pizza can either be cooked in the wood fired oven, at a lower temperature, for
a longer time, and with less flames, or in a gas oven. 
In Italy the Romana Pizza is often sold in bakeries by the kilo or by slice, sometimes in
larger sizes or in oblong shape.

Conclusions

If you set up your pizzeria in a posh market I recommend you to offer Neapolitan or
Classic pizza. This will attract traveled connoisseurs, foreigners and nonresident
Indians. With a superior product and premium ingredients you can price your pizza
accordingly. If you choose Classic pizza, you can experiment more and meet your
customers taste than with the Neapolitan pizza. 
If you set up your pizzeria in a more laid back area I recommend you to offer Classic or
Romana pizza. The Neapolitan is too authentic for this kind of market. The Romana is
the safe card; : it does not stand out and rarely gives rarely any complains. You could
still offer some premium toppings, although most of your customers will choose the
toppings that they are already accustomed to. 
Recently a few places in India have introduced pizzas that are similar to the Neapolitan,
with a good feedback. They have found their niche and had relatively faster and
steadiery growth. The positive response could be explained by the fact that Neapolitan
pizza is an excellent product and there are less competition for that kind of pizza.

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