THE GREAT ITALY RESET

How COVID-19 delivered Italy from “wet” pizza and inspired a windfall of innovation.

STORY & PHOTOS BY MISSY GREEN

Italians may have invented pizza, but it was Americans who came up with pizza delivery. Putting a pizza in a cardboard box and bringing it to customers’ homes was first popularized in the U.S., where it became a model for the rest of the world.

In Italy, meanwhile, pizza has long persisted as either a dine-in affair or an on-the-go street food. Classics like a traditional Neapolitan or a Roman-style square sold by weight are finished off in the oven just before being served hot and fresh. But all that changed with the rise of COVID-19 and the subsequent stay-at-home orders.

Revising Italian Culture

Social distancing came in direct opposition to many aspects of Italian life, including the way people gather in groups to eat. Without customers dining in the store or passing by on the street, the minds behind the Italian pizza industry had to rethink how they create, bake and serve their most beloved food.

“One of the latest innovations in the Italian pizza industry is Contemporary Neapolitan pizza,” says Marco Morello, president of Genoa, Italy-based oven company Morello Forni. He describes the innovative style as a “revisiting” of the Neapolitan product, one that better pairs with the modern demands for pizza delivery and increased takeaway.

“Classic Neapolitan pizza—which is a beautiful and fantastic product—loses its most important characteristics as soon as it’s put in a box for delivery,” Morello says. Contemporary Neapolitan pizza, on the other hand, has a longer cooking time, creating a product that’s crunchier, he adds. This enables the pizza to be delivered while preserving the esthetics of a true Neapolitan pie.

While Contemporary Neapolitan pizza was gaining attention before the pandemic, Morello notes that “it wasn’t that popular.” The pandemic helped it grow because it provided an opportunity: the ability to sell pizza for delivery at a time when restaurants were struggling.

Italian-born U.S. Pizza Team member Pasquale di Maio, the owner of Vesuvio’s Mobile Wood Fired Pizza in Minneapolis, names another benefit to the new take on the classic. “Contemporary Neapolitan pizza is much easier to digest,” he says. “It has a higher hydration of 70% water and a longer fermentation time.”

Di Maio’s catering outfit brings the modernized pie to weddings, corporate events and other high-volume activities. But he doesn’t distinguish between his version and classic varieties, and most pizzerias in Italy don’t, either.

A Silent Pizza Revolution?

Morello explains that, during the pandemic, pizzerias didn’t actively promote the fact that they had “evolved” their recipes, and the transition from Classic Neapolitan to Contemporary Neapolitan stayed largely under the radar. “Pizzerias during COVID were more focused on keeping their heads above water than they were on informing customers about their unique method of making pizza,” he says. “It was more important to actually make it than philosophize about how it is defined.”

While there was nothing dubious about this silent pizza revolution, it’s noteworthy that, for years before COVID-19, some Italian pizza makers had been challenging Neapolitan pizza’s stringent rules that define authenticity or “STG” (“specialità tradizionale garantita,” or “traditional specialty guaranteed” in English).

For example, despite STG’s requirements for “true” Neapolitan pizza to be cooked in a wood-fired oven, this is often simply impractical, di Maio says. “Working with a wood-burning oven is a very skilled job that requires a lot of training. An electric oven keeps a uniform temperature in every corner, making it much easier to adapt to employee turnover.” Moreover, changing environmental regulations paint an uncertain future for wood-burning ovens globally.

Contemporary Ovens for Classic Pies

Of course, when delivering a pizza in its best state, the biggest challenge is controlling the moisture. Taking this into account, Italforni released the Caruso pizza oven at HostMilano at the end of last year. The oven was developed in collaboration with master Neapolitan pizza chefs and is positioned as “the first electric oven with the same performance as a traditional wood-burning oven,” reaching 986°F.

Di Maio demonstrated the oven at the Milan-based restaurant trade show last October, hailing it as “the future of pizza,” in part for its ability to remove excess moisture. “When a pizza comes out of the oven, we normally put it right on a plate or in a box, and we know that the steam released from the bottom will impact the crust,” Di Maio says.

In contrast, the Caruso oven removes steam with an added final step: The pizza maker finishes off the pizza in a special chamber that blows hot air down from the deck and around the pizza, never losing the heat. “I’ve seen other solutions to control moisture, like using a textured plate to lift the pizza up, but you still get a steam layer,” di Maio says. “With this concept of ‘drying the pizza,’ the steam is removed completely.”

Boxing Up Traditional Window Displays

Meanwhile, Italmil, creators of the airy and crunchy pizza base dubbed Scrocchiarella, adapted to the increased focus on delivery by coming out with a round 31-centimeter (12”) base that could fit into a standard pizza box.

Scrocchiarella is made using a mother dough that the company has propagated for more than a century in Bergamo in northern Italy. Its formulation significantly reduces the time to prepare authentic pizza al taglio, the long, air bubbleinfused, puffed-up varieties of pizza often seen in to-go display cases around Rome and boasting an array of colorful toppings.

Last October, also at the HostMilano event, Italmil introduced a par-baked black Venus rice variety and a soft wheat Scrocchiarella base to help pizzerias produce highquality pizza in record time. “When you order a pizza in Italy, especially if it’s a Saturday night, it takes a very long time for your pizza to be delivered,” explains Matteo Bosio, product developer at Italmil. “These bases can help pizzerias deliver faster while keeping the quality high.”

Optimized Delivery

Lastly, how a pizza is handled in transit makes a huge impact on how the final product is presented to the customer. With this in mind, Tuscany-based pizza tool innovator Gi.Metal released RedBox, a delivery system designed to keep a traveling pizza as fresh as the moment it came out of the oven for 30 minutes or more. The scooter-mountable box, which also can be installed in most cars, features a heating element to keep pizzas actively warm as well as humidity control to prevent steam buildup.

“The last mile is very frustrating for pizzaioli,” says Marco d’Annibale, CEO at Gi.Metal. “What we offer with the RedBox allows pizzerias to deliver their product hot and dry like never before.”

D’Annibale says the company had this innovation in the pipeline before the pandemic struck, but the emergence of the virus accelerated it onto the market. “What we see is that delivery isn’t going away. It’s become a habit for many of us, so quality in delivery is very important.”

For Morello, the pandemic taught Italy something that Americans learned a long time ago—pizza is one of the best products for delivery. “Here in Italy, we have sushi and hamburger places that offer delivery, too, but pizza is fast food par excellence for us,” he says. “It remains the No. 1 for Italians.”

BY TRACY MORIN

Adding a finishing sauce to your pizza may be the last step in the process, but that doesn’t mean your sauces should be an afterthought. A simple drizzle here and a spritz there can easily take your menu items to the next level, separating your pizzeria from the competitor down the street and helping your menu items stay of-the-moment and full of flavor. Want to make your own spicy honey from scratch? Myke’s Pizza shares a recipe in the digital version of this article at PMQ.com/get-sauced.

“When looking at trends or unique ways to give our guests something new or different, the sauce we use can certainly hit the mark, adding extra flavor or eye appeal,” notes Drew French, founder of Your Pie, based in Athens, Georgia, with more than 75 locations nationwide. “Whether it’s blending something traditional with a new spin or adding a flavor post-bake to increase visual appeal, sauces are a great way to bring guests where they want to go.”

Need some sauce-spiration? Read on to see the many ways pizzerias across the country are incorporating them on standout specialty pies.

Spicy Spotlight Myke’s Pizza, Mesa, AZ

At Myke’s Pizza, two pies on the regular menu feature a housemade, locally sourced spicy honey drizzle: the Salami pizza, with crushed tomatoes, mozzarella, salami and aged Gouda; and the Pineapple pizza, a spin on the traditional Hawaiian, with mozzarella, pork roll, pineapple and pickled jalapeños. “The honey is a subtle way to take traditional styles to the next level—it works exceptionally well on the Pineapple pizza, where the drizzle marries the sweet-and-heat combo of the fruit and chili toppings,” says owner Myke Olsen. “We use spicy honey to either complement or play up other flavors on the pizzas where they are featured.”

For the Salami pizza, Olsen notes, the chili flavor pairs well with the salami, while the sweetness amplifies the natural sweetness from the crushed tomato sauce. On the Pineapple pizza, the spicy honey melds with the sweetness of the pineapple and balances the jalapeños’ spiciness. “It’s the perfect finishing topping that ties the whole pizza together,” Olsen says. “We find sweetness and heat encourage customers to take that next bite.”

Olsen notes that the spicy honey can easily be added to any of Myke’s pizzas or other types of dishes, like wings, or sold as an additional dipping item for sides like garlic knots or simply for the pizza crust itself. “A side of spicy honey is a popular add-on item for our guests,” he says. “In general, drizzles and sauces are an easy way of adding combined or complex flavors to a pizza. In addition to our spicy honey, we’ve used a housemade harissa and also created a chilicitrus-espresso salsa for a recent pizza special.”

Creamy, Sweet ’n’ Sour Baker & Brewer, Charleston, SC

Executive chef Joe Liles of Baker & Brewer thinks outside the box when it comes to fun finishers for his pies. Two of Baker & Brewer’s best-selling pies are the Pistachio Pesto pie, topped with crème fraîche and dusted pistachios; and the Bacon, Egg & Cheese pizza, with panna, potatoes, local bacon, Gouda and a farm egg, finished with housemade chili maple syrup. “An egg yolk drizzle is a fun finisher for any brunch pie, while a Calabrian honey or Fresno jam drizzle can add a little kick with just a drop,” Liles suggests. “The key to any finishing drizzle is truly to finish with it—make it the last item on the pizza so it doesn’t gunk up your pizza cutter!”

At Baker & Brewer, the Pistachio Pesto Pizza was created by its parent company, EVO Pizzeria, in 2005. Liles notes the unique combo has even scored national recognition. “Folks are very passionate about how much they love this pie,” Liles reports. “After the pizza comes out of the woodfired oven, it’s finished with housemade crème fraîche, then pistachio dust. The crème fraîche adds a level of tangy sour that compliments the richness of the mozzarella and pistachios.”

Meanwhile, the brunch menu, served only on Sundays, is the one chance for customers to enjoy a farm egg-enhanced pizza—the Bacon, Egg & Cheese pie is drizzled with thin lines of egg yolk after baking. “The creamy texture this offers is what we all love about sunny-side up or over-easy eggs,” Liles explains. “But it’s just evenly distributed on the pie, as opposed to the normal pile of yolk.”

A Sauce Extravaganza

Your Pie, Athens, GA

Your Pie has added several limited-time pizzas that feature drizzles to add unique flavors. Here are just a few that have found impressive success on the menu:

• Hot Honey Pepperoni Pizza, with marinara and mozzarella, blends pepperoni, sweet peppadew peppers, house-pickled jalapeños, and a sprinkle of feta, all topped with fresh chopped basil and drizzled with hot honey.

• Peach & Prosciutto Pie, with a base of olive oil and ricotta, is topped with prosciutto and a blend of mozzarella and Parmesan. Fresh peaches are added before being baked. Postbake, chefs add a pinch of fresh basil and a housemade honey balsamic glaze drizzle.

• White Truffle Pizza features a base of Alfredo sauce, along with shredded mozzarella, spinach leaves, and slices of Roma tomatoes and red onions. It’s then topped with slices of small mushrooms and large slices of portabellas and sprayed with truffle oil after baking.

• Chicken al Pastor Pizza features housemade avocadopineapple salsa, jalapeño and mozzarella, and it’s drizzled with smoked chipotle ranch and a squeeze of lime for a fresh burst of flavor.

• BBQ Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza includes barbecue sauce and mozzarella, topped with chicken, bacon, cilantro, red onions and a swirl of housemade ranch dressing.

Several LTOs at Your Pie also featured similar drizzles on dipping sticks, salads or pastas. “Tastes are always developing and changing—some items, like sriracha, we introduced very early, before they were mainstream, while others, like truffle oil, are timeless flavors that our guests might not have ever tried before,” French notes. “We like to push our normal menu to give our teams and guests something new and exciting to try.”

French adds that a sauce is a great way to add a flavor impact— without a super-complex application. A balsamic glaze, for example, might require some prep time if made in-house, but applying it post-bake can greatly impact a pizza’s final flavor. “The missing link to a great pizza, a lot of times, can be in the sauce— and playing with different sauce combinations is a great way to expand your menu without adding a lot of SKUs to your back of house,” French says. “But, although I’m a huge sauce fan, more isn’t always better. It’s the balance of flavor that comes together, so that’s how we decide if we do a drizzle, spray or use the sauce as the main application.”

In terms of when to add the sauce—pre- or post-bake—Your Pie works on a case-by-case basis. “We will only do post-bake sauces if the oven really changes the desired flavor we are hoping to achieve, or if the color pop is such that we want to highlight it post-bake,” French says. “Experiment to see how the flavors change, develop and make your pizza creation come to life!”

Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor and the editor of PizzaVegan.com.