Today, on the occasion of the Neapolitan Pizza International Day, according to a report by Cna Agroalimentare (Italy’s National Confederation of Crafts and SME) the pizza market has reached an annual turnover of 15 billion euros in Italy (and about 30 billion globally). One hundred and thirty thousand companies in the sector are involved, and full-time employees are one hundred thousand – 200 thousand on weekends. The market churns out about eight million pizzas a day, almost three billion in a year.
PIZZA IN ITALY AND ALL OVER THE WORLD
Pizza is the most iconic dish of Italy as well as the most beloved – along with pasta – and therefore has the right to a moment of celebration all its own. For the occasion TheFork, website and app for Android and iOS leader in online restaurant booking, has analyzed the pizzerias on its platform.
Compared to 2018, 2019 registered a +31% preference for pizzerias, as this kind of restaurant represents 11% of TheFork’s total partner addresses, while about 20% of restaurants offer pizza among the dishes on their menu. The cities with the highest number of pizzerias bookable online on TheFork are Rome (239 addresses), Milan (197) and Naples (110). Pizzerias are also the places where people love to eat together: in fact the average number of place settings per reservation is 4.
NEAPOLITAN PIZZA RULES – HOW IT IS MADE
Pizza Napoletana Stg specification provides for the following ingredients:
- Type 0 or 00 soft wheat flour, with the possible addition of type 1 soft wheat flour (in small percentages, from 5% to 20%)
- Natural water
- Salt
- Yeast
- Fresh tomatoes, in the San Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-nocerino PDO, Pomodorini di Corbara (Corbarino), Pomodorino del piennolo del Vesuvio PDO variants, or peeled tomatoes (San Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-nocerino PDO)
- Buffalo Mozzarella PDO or Fiordilatte Mozzarella PDO
- olive oil
- oregano
- basil
In addition, the real Neapolitan pizza:
- Must be round and no more than 35cm in diameter
- Must be cooked in a wood fired oven
- Must be kneaded and shaped by hand
- Dough should be allowed to leaven for at least six hours
Only three types of authentic Neapolitan pizza exist:
- The first is Marinara with garlic and oregano.
- The second, a Margherita, must be made with basil, tomatoes and Mozzarella cheese from the southern Apennine mountains.
- Finally the Extra Margherita variety must include buffalo mozzarella from the Campania region.
- The final product must be soft, elastic and easy to fold in two, the guidelines say. The STG Neapolitan pizza is characterised by its raised, golden crust, soft to the touch and to the lips with the red of the tomato visible through the white spots of the mozzarella.
PIZZA DELIVERY
According to the data recorded by Deliveroo, pizza is a tradition that cannot be renounced. In 2019, delivery orders have grown by 15% in Italy, which testifies to the fact that this specialty never goes out of fashion, even keeping up with the latest gastronomic trends.
Women (47%) are particularly attracted by pizza, followed by Millennials (25-34 years old) with 60% of preferences and the inhabitants of the South of italy (51%).
THE ART OF NEAPOLITAN PIZZA MAKERS
The art of Neapolitan pizzaiuoli (pizza makers) has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since December 2017. This is the basis of the Neapolitan Pizza World Day. The initiative, established by the City of Naples, is promoted by the Neapolitan Pizzaiuoli Napoletani Association, the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association and the UniVerde Foundation.