Cooking Fancy: What Is An Authentic Italian Gourmet Pizza Like?
It’s no secret that pizza is one of the best things Italy has to offer to the world. It is deeply rooted in the heritage and culture of the country. In fact, pizza making dates back to the 16th century. This only attests to the rich history of an authentic Italian gourmet pizza.
Most Aussies dream of going to Italy to experience a spoonful of their scrumptious dishes, especially the traditional pizza. With the COVID-19 pandemic, travel restrictions are at an all-time high. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t take a bite of authentic Italian gourmet pizza in the comforts of your own home.
A lot of restaurants in the country offer pizzas traditionally made just like the Italians do, so you don’t have to miss out or delay your Italian pizza experience. And today, we’re going to explore what an authentic Italian gourmet pizza is like
Comparing Italian and American Pizza
At a first glance, you can immediately distinguish the difference between an Italian and an American pizza. The crust, toppings, sauces, and servings sizes significantly vary from each other. But just like American pizzas, there are also lots of Italian styles pizza varieties like Neapolitan Pizza, Pizza Bianca, Sicilian, Pizza al Taglio, Pizza Fritta, and Calzone.
Let’s discuss the different telltale sign that screams authentic Italian pizzas.
Serving Size: One Whole Pie, Not a Slice
Whether you’d like to order a pizza for yourself or you would want a bigger serving for the whole family, you might notice that most Italian pizzerias don’t serve pre-sliced pizzas. They commonly sell it as a whole.
Traditional and authentic Italian pizzas are meant to be shared. That’s why they are sold in larger portions. But some restaurants also offer serving sizes that are meant just for at least one or two persons. So, you could still enjoy your favourites without having to worry about snacking on cold, leftover pizza the next day.
Crust: A Balance of Crispy and Chewy
Box pizzas and even American-style pizzas have a thick, deep-dish crust. This is absolutely not the kind of crust you’ll expect in an Italian pizza. Usually, traditional Italian pizzas have a thin, crispy crust but with a light, fluffy consistency.
Preparing an authentic Italian pizza crust is an art exclusive to traditional pizzaiolos. The right way to knead the soft dough as you twirl it between the palms of your hand is critical. The unique touch of making it fly in the air is also a product of years of experience.
Aside from the right technique, authentic pizza crusts are made with a special kind of flour. The type “00” category is used since it is s the finest and the most refined variety available. After having all the right ingredients and techniques, now comes measuring the right proportions of yeast, salt, and flour.
Making the perfect pizza base gives the dough the best texture. And as we all know, the dough lends the pizza its unique taste, binds and holds all the flavours together. This is what sets a classic Italian pizza apart from the rest.
Sauce: Richer, Fuller Flavour
Pizza sauces usually taste richer and indulgent in authentic Italian pizzas. This is contrary to box pizzas. The sauce’s richer and fuller flavour is due to its fresh and locally outsourced ingredients. In some restaurants, Italian pizza is even served without the sauce.
Are you familiar with Pizza Bianca? Well, that’s among the traditional Italian pizzas you should try. While it isn’t doused with any red sauce, it’s drizzled with olive oil and is extremely flavourful.
Talk about cheese. An authentic Italian gourmet pizza is carefully sprinkled with fresh and flavoursome fior di latte or buffalo cheese. More than anything, you must also consider the quality of the cheese. Low-grade and cheap cheese only ruins the authenticity of the pizza’s overall taste.
Toppings: Of Course, No Pineapple on Pizza!
Some people love pineapples on pizza, while others hate it. It’s a steaming hot internet debate. And Italians may have finally settled the discussion. Are you wondering why so? Well, in Italy, pineapples are an infamous choice for pizza toppings.
Most Italians even think that it should never be a pizza topping. Aside from that, every Italian pizza scream abundance. They don’t skimp on ingredients. Instead of small slices of pepperoni or sprinkling of shredded, pizzas are filled with large discs of prosciutto or slabs of gooey buffalo mozzarella.
There is also a selection of unique toppings like eggplants, artichokes, pumpkins, truffles, and salty capers. Some classic Italian pizzas are also topped with Provolone, Italian sausage, salami, black olives, anchovies. Of course, a few fresh basil leaves are the true ‘delightful toppings’ for an authentic Italian pizza.
Aside from all these, you can also use fresh tomatoes, onions, red capsicum, zucchini, mushrooms, gorgonzola cheese, tuna, or smoked bacon. The choice of toppings is simply endless but unforgiving with the pineapples.
Cooking Style: Wood-Fired Not Oven-Baked
Many pizza parlours use gas or electric oven in cooking pizzas. While this is the easiest and most convenient way to cook, authentic Italian pizzas are cooked in brick ovens or wood-fired ovens. This way, the heat traps ups resulting in a perfectly charred and smoky-flavoured crust. This distinct taste is extremely hard to replicate in regular ovens. That’s why traditional pizzerias stick to the classic way of cooking pizza.
Visit Cucina Dolce for the Best-Tasting Pizzas
Excited to taste authentic Italian gourmet pizzas, entrees, desserts, and best Italian food in Melbourne? Head on to Cucina Dolce. Our amazing chefs, pizzaiolo, and floor staff work in perfect harmony to deliver your desired treats whenever you like them.
We offer a full range of authentic Italian menu from wood-fired pizza to prawn linguini. Other than our scrumptious dishes, we also host private functions, sporting club catering, birthday parties and other events.
Visit us at 8 / 426 Nepean Hwy Chelsea, Vic, 3196 to experience the authentic Italian flavours. We are open to serve you! For more details and information about our services, you can also call us on 03 9772 9091.
