If you’re used to eating American pizza, Italian pizza can come as a shock. Italian pizzas are made for one person, so they are fairly small (not quite 14 inches in diameter); the crust is very thin, with a raised edge; the pizza isn’t doused with tomato sauce; the cheese (if used) is sliced, not shredded; the toppings are carefully arranged instead of piled on; the crust is likely to be lightly charred; and, finally, the pizza is not sliced. What’s going on?
There are several reasons why Italians serve their pizza unsliced. First, Italian pizza is designed to be eaten with a knife and fork, sitting at a table with family or friends. Italians take their food very seriously, and a pizza, made to order just for you, is meant to be savored, just like any other Italian dish.
Besides, the toppings tend to be runnier than American pizza toppings. Italian pizza is baked for a very short time — 60 to 90 seconds – in an extremely hot oven — usually around 800 to 900 degrees Fahrenheit. (Now you know why many Italian pizzerias aren’t open for lunch. It takes time to heat the pizza oven. The entire restaurant gets hot, too, which can be uncomfortable in the middle of the day.) Cooking pizza toppings quickly at a high temperature heats them and melts the cheese, but it doesn’t dry them out, resulting in wetter toppings. Picking up a slice of Italian pizza could be a disaster, as the toppings might slide off into your lap.
Italian pizza is served hot, hot, hot
There’s another reason why Italian pizza is not sliced for you. It’s served to you straight from the oven so that it will be hot when you eat it. If you watch the pizzaiolo create pizzas, you’ll see that he takes your pizza from the blazing hot oven and puts it directly onto your plate. Stopping to slice the pizza would give it time to cool down. Again, eating is serious business in Italy, and everyone in the pizzeria works hard to make sure your pizza is the hot and tasty meal you’re expecting.
Italians take their pizza so seriously that the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, or True Neapolitan Pizza Association, asked the European Commission to register Neapolitan pizza as Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG), which it did in 2010. Only pizzas that conform to the regulations for making Neapolitan pizza can bear the name Pizza Napoletana and the TSG designator.
If you’re in Italy and are craving pizza by the slice, there is a way to find it. Look for pizza al taglio, sold either as street food or from an indoor counter. “Pizza al taglio” translates to “pizza by the slice.” Pizza al taglio differs from pizza Napoletana in that this type of pizza is pre-made, has a thicker crust, and is sold in rectangular slices. It’s still made with tasty ingredients and will easily satisfy your longing for a chewier pizza experience (though you likely won’t be able to find your favorite unconventional pizza toppings from back home).
