Neapolitan Pizza was born in Naples, Italy, in the 18th century, even though its roots
stretch back even further. Flatbread crowned with numerous ingredients has been common
throughout Mediterranean cultures for hundreds of years; however, what made Neapolitan pizza
specific became the usage of tomatoes. When tomatoes had been brought to Europe from the
In the Americas in the sixteenth century, they had a notion that it was toxic to Europeans.
But by the late 1700s, terrible human beings in Naples commenced including tomatoes in their
flatbreads. This easy road food became wildly popular among the working masses in Naples.
The proper Neapolitan pizza follows strict conventional policies: The dough is made with 00 flour, water, salt, and yeast. It should be hand-kneaded. It should be stretched by hand,
never rolled. It needs to be baked at a very high temperature (around 800–900°F / 430–
480°C) in a wood-fired oven for genuinely 60–90 seconds. The crust is skinny inside the centre and puffy, mild, and slightly charred around the edges (cornicione)
One of the most well-known stories related to Neapolitan pizza is the creation of the Pizza
Margherita. In 1889, to honour Queen Margherita of Savoy, a pizzaiolo named Raffaele Esposito
supposedly created a pizza with tomatoes (purple), mozzarella cheese (white), and sparkling basil
(inexperienced) — representing the colours of the Italian flag. This patriotic pizza became a symbol of
national satisfaction and spread its repute beyond Naples.
Neapolitan pizza has become popular with immigrants from Naples who carried the way of life to the
USA and beyond in the late nineteenth and early 20th centuries. However, actual pizza Napoletana
remained a fiercely protected culinary artwork in Naples. In 1984, the Associazione Verace Pizza
Napoletana (AVPN) is based on the true fashion of Neapolitan pizza. The EU later granted it a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) status, recognising it as a cultural background meal. Today,
authentic pizzerias should meet strict standards to earn this label. Cultural image: Represents Naples
and the Southern Italian culinary lifestyle. In 2017, the art of Neapolitan pizza-making — the Pizzaiuolo
— was introduced to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage listing. Global Influence: It inspired endless local pizza patterns internationally, from New York skinny-crust to Chicago deep-dish.
Ingredients
- The dough needs:
- 500 g (4 cups) tipo “00” flour (or strong bread flour)
- 325 ml (11⁄3 cups) lukewarm water
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast (or 3g clean yeast
The Toppings require:
- 400 g (14 oz.) canned complete San Marzano tomatoes (or precise-great plum tomatoes)
- 200g (7 ounces)
- Fresh mozzarella (ideally buffalo mozzarella)
- Fresh basil leaves
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt
Instructions
Step 1: Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water
Step 2: In a big bowl, add the flour and salt
Step 3: Make a proper inside the middle and pour in the yeast aggregate. Mix till a shaggy dough bureaucracy
Step 4: Knead on a floured floor for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic
Step 5: Shape right into a ball, cover with a damp fabric, and permit it to rise for 2 hours or until doubled in length
Step 6: Punch down the dough and divide it into 4 identical balls
Step 7: Let them rest for another 30–60 mins, blanketed
Step 8: Crush the canned tomatoes by hand or use a food mill. Season lightly with salt
Step 9: Preheat your oven to the very best temperature (ideally 475–500°C/900°F if you have a pizza oven; for a domestic oven, use 250°C/480°F with a pizza stone or metal). Place a pizza stone or metallic inner at the same time as preheating — it needs to be very warm
Step 10: Take one dough ball and lightly stretch it into a sphere (~10–12 inches), operating from the centre outwards —don’t use a rolling pin!
Step 11: Place it on a floured peel or baking paper.
Step 12: Spread a skinny layer of tomato sauce over the bottom
Step 13: Tear the mozzarella into portions and scatter frivolously
Step 14: Add fresh basil leaves. Drizzle with a touch of olive oil.
Step 15: Slide the pizza onto the hot stone or steel
Step 16: Bake for 7–10 minutes (or ninety seconds if you have a wood-fired oven!)
Tips
- If viable, use buffalo mozzarella and San Marzano tomatoes
- An excellent warm oven is fundamental to getting that leopard-spotted, soft-but-crispy crust
- Don’t overload with toppings — much less is extra!
More Facts About Neapolitan Pizza
- Neapolitan pizza (Pizza Napoletana) is the blueprint for all modern pizzas. Its roots cross back to the 18th century in Naples, where negative workers crowned flatbread with tomato, garlic, oil, and from time to time, cheese or anchovies
- In 2010, the EU granted it a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) repute — that means only pizzas made following conventional strategies can be classified as such. True Neapolitan pizza ought to be baked in a timber-fired, domed oven at approximately 485°C (905°F) for just 60– 90 seconds. This creates the signature tender, elastic, slightly charred crust (cornicione)
- Cheese needs to be mozzarella di bufala or fior di latte (sparkling cow’s milk mozzarella). Basil must be fresh. That’s it — simple perfection!
- In 2017, the art of the Neapolitan pizzaiolo — the craft of creating and baking authentic Neapolitan pizza was introduced to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage listing
- Neapolitan dough has four elements: flour, water, salt, and yeast. It’s kneaded by hand (or low-pace mixer) and should rise for 8–24 hours. No oil or sugar inside the dough — all the taste comes from lengthy fermentation and excessive warmth
- Though born in Naples, Neapolitan pizza is now loved everywhere. Pizzerias licensed via the
- AVPN can be discovered globally — from New York to Tokyo. Many towns host Neapolitan
- pizza festivals and competitions.
- The philosophy is: use top-notch, fresh substances and let them shine. No pineapple, heavy toppings, or overloaded cheese — ever! The raised, airy, leopard-noticed crust is called the cornicione. It’s tender but puffy and slightly charred, no longer crunchy or cracker-like
- Neapolitan pizza’s importance lies in its strict craft — the dough’s lengthy fermentation, hand stretching, wood-fired baking at blistering warmth
- Historically, the pizza oven turned into a social hub in Naples — families without ovens could carry dough to community bakers. Today, pizzerias remain an area for people to acquire, proportion, and join — less expensive, communal, and inviting
- Pizza is now one of the world’s most beloved ingredients — a typical comfort meal that crosses borders, languages, and cultures
- Neapolitan pizza stands as a reminder of where that story began and why authenticity is still a topic. In an era of speedy meals and frozen pizza, the Associazione Verace Pizza
- Napoletana (AVPN) fights to keep the way of life — placing policies for components, dough, ovens, and strategies. This ensures that when you eat a real Neapolitan pizza, you flavour a chunk of Naples’ dwelling history.
