Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Italy's undercover pizza detectives
Born as a street food in Naples, Italy, in the late 1800s, pizza has become
one of the most popular dishes in many places around the world. There are
diverse styles and regional variations, such as Pizza Napoletana, Pizza Romana,
Sfincione (Sicilian pizza), pizza al taglio, and pinsa romana. Two traditional types
of Neapolitan pizza represent the typical Neapolitan pizza: the Margherita,
topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil, and the Marinara
with oregano, garlic, and tomatoes but without cheese. In 1984, the True
Neapolitan Pizza Association (AVPN) was founded to promote and
protect in Italy and worldwide the true Neapolitan pizza, which is inscribed on
the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. After its rigorous nine-day
training course at AVPN, trainees take exams to be certified pizzaiolo. There
are about 1,000 accredited pizzerias in many parts of the world that employ an
AVPN-trained pizzaiolo and maintain strict standards. Those restaurants and pizzerias
are secretly inspected by pizza agents from AVPN, and if a problem is verified,
the restaurant or pizzeria is removed from the list. While the organization is
committed to preserving the tradition, it is also accepting new styles of
cooking, including electric ovens and untraditional toppings. After all, the
pizza of today isn’t the same as the one when the organization was established
four decades ago.
Read the article and learn about what is so special about authentic Pizza
Napoletana.
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