Italian pizza is a yeast bread with cheese, tomato sauce, and herbs. It can be cooked in a wood or kitchen oven. Neapolitan pizza is the original and has three certified variants, including the famous Margherita. Lazio-style pizza has two basic versions, with a range of toppings. Other popular Italian pizzas include pizza bianca and calzones.
Italian pizza is usually yeast bread baked with cheese, tomato sauce or tomatoes and herbs. More elaborate versions commonly include a variety of fresh or canned toppings. It can be cooked in a traditional wood oven or in a common kitchen oven powered by gas or electricity.
The crust of authentic Italian pizza is normally hand-tossed and thin. Different crust thicknesses have been introduced over the years. Italian pizza can now commonly be found with hand-rolled medium-thick crusts. Chicago-style Italian pizza has a thick cornbread-like crust that is pressed into a deep pan and topped with tomatoes, spices, and herbs. All types of Italian pizzas are commonly topped with other vegetables, meats and seafood according to consumer tastes.
Neapolitan pizza is generally considered to be the original Italian pizza. It is traditionally topped with Italian tomatoes, canned or fresh, and buffalo mozzarella. Authentic Neapolitan pizza crust is made with sourdough, water, and durum wheat flour, although some bakers find any strong, protein-rich bread flour acceptable.
There are three certified variants of Neapolitan pizza. One of these called pizza marinara has no cheese. The tomatoes on this pizza are normally seasoned with garlic, oregano and basil and then extra virgin olive oil is dripped onto the surface just before cooking. The famous Margherita pizza recipe calls for a topping of fresh sliced mozzarella covered with tomato, basil and extra virgin olive oil. Plus, an extra Margherita pizza is topped with fresh mozzarella fillets imported from Campania.
Lazio-style pizza is normally available in two basic versions. The simplest type, sold as a takeout, features a thick, rectangular crust similar to the texture of English muffins. The restaurant variety has a round, thinner crust. These pizzas can be cooked in traditional or wood ovens. Both types offer a range of toppings that can be mixed and matched to suit the customer’s tastes. These side dishes often include a large assortment of vegetables, including tomato, mushrooms, olives, and artichokes. Oregano and basil are popular herb additions. Popular meat and fish toppings include German sausage, anchovies, ham, and ham. Cheeses such as mozzarella, stracchinio, fontina, gorgonzola and ricotta are popular additions. All varieties traditionally get a healthy swirl of olive oil as well.
Other traditional Italian pizzas that have gained popularity in recent years include pizza bianca and calzones. The white pizza has no tomatoes or tomato sauce. Instead, it usually has pesto or just ricotta and mozzarella with olive oil, basil, and garlic. A calzone resembles a giant turnover and is simply a round pizza crust filled with your chosen ingredients from the diner, folded over and sealed before cooking.
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