Now we can consider pizza as a global dish, but it is well known that its origins are Italian. In the capital, the pizza is born after WWII, 200 years later than the neapolitan pizza, and it is appreciated all over Italy in all its variety. Generically, when it comes to roman pizza, we think of a very thin dough that, after being cooked in a wood oven, will become very crispy. Lavished with many different toppings, it is normally prepared with tomato sauce and mozzarella and, according to some roman cookbooks, in the traditional variety called “napoli”, apart from the anchovies, also chopped up basil, pecorino cheese and black pepper should be added.
Of course, we’re talking about the round dish pizza, that currently, above all the other classical toppings which are tomato and mozzarella based (margherita, funghi, capricciosa, napoli), is topped off with tens of well combined ingredients, always following tradition. But the dish pizza isn’t the only kind of pizza you can find in Rome.
There is a wide range of pizzas in Rome: we find the classic round ones, in baking trays and wooden paddles. The dough changes, the proving, the weight, the size and the way of eating it: some eat it while walking (take away sliced pizza), someone prefers to sit and get served (dish pizza), someone chooses to order it over the phone and make someone bring it to their house (delivery pizza), someone buys it at the baker’s together with bread (baker’s pizza), someone chooses high quality dough and ingredients (gourmet pizza), someone chooses it as a treat for the school mid-morning break (baker’s tomato pizza), someone chooses a lighter dough (high digestibility pizza), someone chooses a pizza with different flours than wheat (gluten free pizza), someone loves the return to tradition and something halfway between the neapolitan pizza and the roman pizza (the pinsa). In any way, huge quantities of pizza are consumed at all times in every single way in Rome.
When it comes to dish pizza or sliced pizza, the variety is infinite, although, in this case, tradition doesn’t leave disappointed. The classic pizza margherita, for example, can’t miss in the offer, also because it is the most loved, according to statistics. Someone chooses to go for what’s in season, while others prefer to never let the customer down and offer off season ingredients.
For example, the typical courgette flowers pizza, bound to summer, prepared with fresh courgette flowers, olive oil and mozzarella, can be found in some pizzerias also in December. Anyways, the classics are: focaccia with olive oil, rosemary and salt; margherita with tomato, mozzarella and basil; marinara with tomato, garlic and oregano; quattro formaggi with mozzarella, parmesan, blue cheese and provola; quattro stagioni tomato, mozzarella, artichokes, ham, mushrooms and olives; roman-neapolitan with tomato, mozzarella, anchovies and oregano; funghi with tomato, mozzarella and sauteed mushrooms.
There are also creative combos. At Pizza MAMI, for example, having an itch to scratch is a classic, and experimentation is everyday business, with great flavour combinations that’ll make your taste buds explode!
Have a look at the menu.
