An Evolutionary Theory of Pizza

When I was growing up, there was only one kind of pizza. A round interpretation of pizza Napoletana that was ubiquitous on the east coast. The quality varied but it usually had a generous spread of tomato sauce, melted stringy mozzarella and indifferent sausage dripping with oil. This was the kind of pizza I grew up with – an American interpretation of the real deal from Italy. Something was lost in the translation.

The wood fired Neapolitan wonder that is watched over by the Associazione Verace Pizza napoletana (AVPN) puts a stake in the ground. They’ve defined everything required to make a true pizza napoletana. No detail is too small to codify. Anything different falls short of the AVPN paragon as far as they are concerned.

“With regards to condiments and products used, where possible, they
must be produced and certified from the Campania region of Italy in
order to meet the standards required and maintain the authenticity of
the product.”

There is only one pizza according to them and it comes from Naples. Variations are debasements of the original. In order to preserve the righteous pie that is Neapolitan, the Association goes to great lengths to define the ingredients, equipment and methods that make a real pizza.

The truth is pizza evolves. Local preferences, available ingredients, the season, equipment and people make the difference. Pizza is open to interpretation around the globe. Even on its home turf, Italy’s regions stray from the AVPN’s pure vision. The pizza you’ll find in Milan is nothing like what you’ll eat in Rome or devour in Sicily.

Given the variety of pizza manifestations in Italy, it is no surprise pizza changed when it went global. Pizza’s evolution was prodded by each ecological niche. From Hawaii’s pineapple and ham laden shores to Brazil’s lush tropical condensed milk and coconuts new species of pie branched off pizza’s evolutionary tree. 

The pizza that I’ve been obsessed with for years is pizza romana, otherwise known as pizza al taglio (sliced pizza) or pizza ai teglia (pan pizza). This form comes from 1960’s Rome. Sancho’s in Fiumicino is ground zero for this style. For three generations they’ve been making this groundbreaking style of pizza. It’s where Gabriele Bonci ate as a kid. It obviously had an impact.

Pizza al taglio isn’t very common in the United States but it’s catching on. When done right it is crisp, light and delivers creatively orchestrated toppings. Unlike my Neapolitan breathren who must color inside the lines of the AVPN, roman pizzaioli have more freedom to be creative. They can deconstruct an entree and try it as a topping. Season the dough before putting anything on it or just go basic with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt.

The Roman crust is the star of the show. When done well it is a thick rectangle but not bready like some grandma or American Sicilian pies. It has a crunch in the crust that yields to a soft airy crumb. The crust is infused with enough olive oil flavor to compliment the topping of choice. If you live in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago or Sebastapol you’ll be able to find it. It is worth seeking out.

For those that want to learn how to make pizza al taglio, it requires practice, patience and the right equipment. A commercial spiral mixer, fancy deck oven, black steel pans and lots of refrigeration are just the start. The high hydration dough can be sticky and needs at least a 3 day rest in the refrigerator. Your oven should have controls for the heat from the floor and the ceiling to get the baking chamber set up properly. You need more heat from the floor, less from the ceiling but be prepared to tweak your settings according to the demands of your toppings. Do not try this at home.

If you are intent on making Roman pizza at home, pizza tonda is the way to go. It’s round, thin and crispy. It doesn’t have the fat cornicone or flexible bottom of a Neapolitan pie. And it can be baked in a home oven with practice. You can even play with preferments (biga) in your dough to achieve a deeper and more complex flavor.

The evolution of pizza is a good thing. Let’s celebrate innovation, creativity and local ingredients. If life gives you lemons, make a friutta di mare pizza and hold the cheese (there are a few rules). Don’t be bound by conventional thinking, take the less travelled path. With dough as your canvas you can paint your dreams.

Going Pro

Careers aren’t always a graceful arc of steady progress. Sometimes they happen in fits and starts like a sputtering old car running out of gas. That’s what happened to me. My old job was giving me fits and I needed a new start.

My new start was in the food business. Not just any food, but the most popular food on the planet. The National Institutes of Health and the United States Department of Agriculture agree that pizza is the most popular food around the world.

Why this obsession with pizza? Because I’m fascinated by the infinite variations that can be coaxed from four simple ingredients; flour, water, salt and yeast. Because it connects me to centuries, even millennia of cooking history. Because pizza made people happy then and now. I want to be a part of that.

The bread and pizza course at ICIF lasted three weeks followed by a 5 week stage.

My goal was to become a professional pizzaiolo. The path to that meant seeking mentors, attending culinary school, and working in pizzerias. Italian pizzaioli like Franco “Sancho” DeLellio in Fiumicino, Patrick Ricci in Torino, Bernardo Garafalo from Ragusa and my teacher Massimiliano Saeiva in Madrid all offered their advice along the way. I took classes and collected certificates from culinary schools in the US and Europe. I did a stage with Massullo (www.massullopizza.com) in Sacramento, California. That’s where I learned how to play with fire and treat dough with the respect it deserves.

I thought I knew what I was doing. I bought a wood-fired oven, mounted it on a flatbed dually truck. I christened this rig—The Warthog. The Warthog was going to carry me to pizza fame and fortune. I was friends with an Italian El Dorado winemaker and asked him if he’d like me to make pizza at his tasting room. He immediately said yes so I popped up at his vineyard in the Sierra foothills. It was my first season and my first steps in my journey as a professional, a real pizzaiolo. Like I said, I was sure I knew what I was doing.

The Warthog is a rolling wood fired oven ready to bake anywhere.

Working outdoors does not mean the weather will work for you. In the mountains, a morning low of 35F and an afternoon high of 85F means that dough maturation goes from slow to high speed. Dough management becomes an issue. Without refrigeration, you are at the mercy of the elements. Dough is much better mannered when you control temperatures in the fridge and indoors.

After the first season in the Sierra Nevada, I moved to the Coast, south of San Francisco. That’s where I learned that wind is a factor too. When I was making pizza outdoors in the harbor we were right on the shoreline. I’d check the weather report daily for gale warnings. When gusts blowing along the Coast are above 15 mph we had to stop making pizza. Ash flying around the oven does not make a great topping. The embers can fly out of the oven too and the flapping canopy can be a hazard. It once went airborne and decapitated my chimney 30 minutes before dinner service.

The temperatures drop quickly in the evening by the ocean and the dough that stretched easily in the afternoon becomes cold and grumpy at night. Time and temperature are everything in the dough business.

Panificio’s Moretti Forni deck oven is perfect for pizza romana and more.

I finally opened a brick and mortar pizza joint called Panificio. By this time I was confident that I did not know what I was doing. I needed help. Help arrived in the form of Massimiliano Saieva, master of pizza romana. I met Massimo years earlier at the best smelling trade show in the world, Pizza Expo. For three days I wandered the floor tasting tomatoes, cheese and toppings. Every oven had a pizzaiolo at the helm, baking discs of joy. But Massimo was different. His pizza was rectangular, crispy and light as air inside. He was baking pizza al taglio or the cut pizza of Rome.

Massimiliano Saieva of ASRpizzalab is one of the best in the world. Learning pizza romana from him was game changing.

During the pandemic Massimo and I did a one week intensive class. We baked simultaneously, me in California and Massimo from ASRPizzalab in Madrid (https://asrpizzalab.com/). Zoom was never so much fun. Armed with new technique and pizza knowledge I opened for business.

Hard work, yes but it has many rewards. Customers that become friends, staff that is like family and most of all the smile on customer’s faces that comes after the first bite. Making people happy is the essence of my work. It is hard work but I love it. 

I’m good at my craft because I stand on the shoulders of giants. I am incredibly grateful for their help along the way. In the coming weeks and months I’ll be telling their stories, sharing the tips I’ve learned from them and celebrating baking and pizza. But above all my pizza journey isn’t over. There is always more to learn.

Links
Most popular food in the world https://www.oklahomafarmreport.com/okfr/2023/04/11/%F0%9F%8D%95-taste-the-world-new-study-reveals-the-most-popular-cuisines-of-2023/
Franco “Sancho” Di Lelio  https://www.pizzeriasancho.it/
Patrick Ricci  https://patrickricci.com/
Bernardo Garafalo https://www.ragusanews.com/2012/05/28/attualita/bernardo-garofalo-campione-mondiale-della-pizza-a-fiumicino/27095
Massimiliano Saieva  https://asrpizzalab.com/
Robert Massullo www.massullopizza.com
ICIF, International School of Italian Cuisine https://www.icif.com/en/
San Francisco Baking Institute https://sfbi.com/
Big Dream Ranch https://www.bigdreamranch.info/