WTI Magazine #60    2015 May, 15
Author : Elda Buonanno Foley      Translation by:

A recent spot by McDonald's on the Happy Meal broadcast in Italy has caused outrage all over the huge community of pizza makers and pizza lovers. In the spot, a young child prefers a happy meal while at the pizzeria with his parents and, as we always do, they address the child's request and end up in the famous fast food outlet. Now, where is the outrage?

Obviously, if you ask this question to an Italian, or better to a Neapolitan, who holds the crown for the best pizzaiolo in the world, they would be almost offended by even thinking of the comparison between the sandwich and the almost millennial dish. There is an entire philosophy about pizza and an even older perception of what a real pizza is, how it should be made, when it should be cooked and which drink should accompany it.

Thus, let's explore one of our best myths, la pizza. As per common knowledge, the dough of the pizza has a very old origin and it has been sang by poets and artists all over the world. In the words of the famous French writer Alexander Dumas "At first sight, the pizza appears to be a simple dish, upon examination it proves to be a compound. The pizza is prepared with bacon, with lard, with cheese, with tomatoes, with [petits, "small"] fish. It is the gastronomic thermometer of the market. The price of the pizza rises and falls according to the abundance or scarcity of the year." These are his words as recorded in the famous journal "The Wagon" in the early years of the 19th century while strolling around the streets of the old Naples.

We have to wait until 1889 when the pizza transformed itself from a simple "bun made with the same dough as bread"(in Dumas' words) into an icon of the Italian food. The pizza Margherita was born thanks to a Neapolitan pizzaiolo who wanted to honor Queen Margherita, while visiting the Campania's capital, with the colors of the Italian flag: red (tomato sauce), white (mozzarella- better if buffalo mozzarella) and green (fresh basil leaves). And the history continues with a myth of pizza that has transcended boundaries and oceans.

Thus what is pizza for the Italians? It is not simply a dish of our long menu but rather an essential part of our community, a symbol of healthy eating and of social gathering. Being an Italian icon, it comes in all flavors and varieties: from the traditional margherita, marinara, capricciosa, Quattro stagioni, with cheese, ham, sausage and broccoli, and so forth, to the regional varieties and the seasonal ones.

But why are we very jealous of our pizza? Simply said, it has all the features of the real Italian character and nature: it is healthy, simple, and it is deeply rooted in our habits and customs and carries old scents and flavors. It represents that Made in Italy based on care and detail, in addition to quality and presentation we are so fond of and known for. Think of the quality of the flour, the sauce, the oil and the cheese that can or cannot be chosen as main ingredients for the dough and the other ingredients (vegetables, meat, etc.) for the final product.

In sum, we love our pizza, the real one, the one that comes round and thin as the Neapolitan pizzaioli would serve you, topped with the flavors of old times.