pizza napoletana

Pizza Napoletana Specification

pizza napoletana

Forno Bravo has translated the original Italian government document defining “Pizza Napoletana” for the EU. Enjoy!

You can buy the ingredients defined in the Pizza Napoletana specification at the Forno Bravo Store, including Molino Caputo Tipo 00 pizzeria flour and San Marzano tomatoes. You can also learn how to make Pizza Napoletana at home with the free Forno Bravo eBooks Wood-Fired Pizza and Pizza Stone Pizza.

*Note: The current international VPN specifications published by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana have been updated and vary slightly from the original ones listed below.

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE COMMUNICATION

Summary: Proposal of recognition of the Specialita’ Traditionale Garantita “Pizza Napoletana”

Date: 24-5-2004

Declaration:

The Ministry of Agricultural received the petition to register the classification of Specialita’ Traditionale Garantita for the product “Pizza Napoletana” as presented in the following Articles 1-13 of the regulation (EEC) number 2082/92, from the association Genuine Pizza Napoletana and from the association Pizza Napoletana, both headquartered in Naples, in order to create this product classification, and to distinguish it clearly from other similar products and to protect the consumer. We verify that the petition of production has been requested in the Italian language and the creation of the product obtained “according to the Italian tradition” and will proceed with the publication of the text of the to methods of production.

Department of Agricultural Food Product Quality and Consumer Protection

Division QTC III

via XX September n. 20

00187 Rome

Thirty days from the date of publication in the official Gazette of the Italian Republic, the above-mentioned petition will be proposed to the European Commission.

THE METHOD OF PRODUCTION OF THE SPECIALITA’ TRADITIONALE GARANTITA “PIZZA NAPOLETANA”

Article 1. Name of the product

The classification of”Pizza Napoletana STG” following the Italian tradition and with the wording exclusively in the Italian language, is reserved to the product made using ovens and from businesses dedicated to the production of Pizza, defined as Pizzerias, and destined for the final consumer, with specific features specified as follows:

The Method

“Pizza Napoletana” is a food preparation made from a base of risen dough and cooked in a wood fire oven. The product is characterized both by the ingredient, means, and technologies of production. In the designation “Pizza Napoletana”, we define the following names: “Pizza Napoletana Marinara”, “Pizza Napoletana Margherita Extra”, and “Pizza Napoletana Margherita”.

Article 2. Ingredients

The products that provide the base for “Pizza Napoletana” include wheat flour type “00” with the addition of flour type “0” yeast, natural water, peeled tomatoes and/or fresh cherry tomatoes, marine salt, and extra virgin olive oil.

Other added ingredients can include, garlic and oregano for “Pizza Napoletana Marinara” buffalo milk mozzarella, fresh basil and fresh tomatoes for”Pizza Napoletana Margherita Extra” and mozzarella STG or Fior di Latte Appennino and fresh basil for “Pizza Napoletana Margherita”.

Article 3. Method of Production

The preparation of “Pizza Napoletana” includes exclusively the following method of production used in a continuous cycle.

1) Preparation of the Dough:

Blend flour, water, salt, and yeast. Pour a liter of water into a mixer, dissolve between the 50 and the 55g of salt, add 10% of the total amount of flour, and then add 3g of hydrated yeast. Start the mixer, and then gradually add 1800 g of flour until you achievement of the desired dough consistency. Combining the ingredients should take 10 minutes.

Next, mix the dough at low speed for 20 minutes, until the dough forms a single ball. To obtain the optimal dough consistency, it is very important to control the quantity of water, such that the flour is able to absorb it all. The mixture should be sticky, soft and elastic to the touch.

The characteristic “merceologiche” of the flour used for “Pizza Napoletana” allow it to absorb from 50 to 55% of its weight in water to reach the optimal “point of pasta.” The resulting dough can be individualized by the abilities of the individual pizzaiolo.

The preparation of the dough in the mixer should be done without causing the dough to become warm.

2) Dough Rising:

The first phase: remove the dough from the mixer, and place it on a surface in the pizzeria where it can be left to rest for 2 hours, covered from a damp cloth. In this manner, the dough’s surface cannot become harden, nor can it form a crust from the evaporation of the moisture released from the dough. The dough is left for the 2 hours rising in the form of a ball, which must be made by the pizzaiolo exclusively by hand.

With the aid of a spatula, cut from the mixture into smaller portions, which are then shaped into a ball. For “Pizza Napoletana”, the dough balls must weigh between the 180 and the 250 g.

The second phase of the dough rising: Once the individual dough balls are formed, they are left in “rising boxes” for a second rising, which lasts from 4 to 6 hours. By controlling storage temperature, these dough balls can then be used at any time within the following 6 hours.

3) Forming the Pizza Base:

Following the second rising, the dough ball can be removed from the rising box using a spatula and placed on the cooking of the pizzeria, on a light layer of flour to keep the dough from sticking to the workbench. With a motion from the center to the outside, and with the pressure of the fingers of both the hands on the dough ball, which is turned over and around multiple times, the pizzaiolo forms a disk of dough that to the center the thickness is not more than 0.3 cm (.11 inch), and a border that is not greater than 1-2 cm (.4-.8 inch), forming a frame, or crust.

No other type of preparation is acceptable for the preparation of the “Pizza Napoletana STG.” Specifically excluded are the use of a rolling pin and mechanical presses.

Features of the flour:

W 220-380
P/L .50-.70
G 22
Absorption 55-62%
Stability 4-12
Caduta E10 max 60
Falling number 300-400
Dry gluten 9.5-11%
Protein 11-12.5%

Features of the Dough:

Fermentation temperature 25C
Final PH 5.87
TA 0.14
Density 0.79g/cc (+34%)

4) Method: Assembling a Pizza

Pizza Napoletana Marinara:

Using a spoon, place 80g of pressed, peeled tomatoes into the center of the pizza base, then using a spiraling motion, cover the entire surface of the base with the sauce;

Using a spiraling motion, add salt to the surface of the tomato sauce;

In the same manner, scatter a pinch of oregano;

Chop a thin slice of peeled garlic, and add it to the tomato;

Using an oil canister and a spiraling motion starting from the center and moving out, pour 4-5g of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Pizza Napoletana Margherita Extra:

Using a spoon place 60-80g of pressed, peeled tomatoes, or chopped fresh cherry tomatoes into the center of the pizza base, then using a spiraling motion, cover the entire surface of the base with the sauce;

Using a spiraling motion, add salt to the surface of the tomato sauce;

Spread 80-100g of sliced Mozzarella di Bufala DOP so that it forms a connect lath pattern on the surface of the tomato sauce;

Spread on the fresh basil leaves;

Using an oil canister and a spiraling motion starting from the center and moving out, pour 4-5g of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Pizza Napoletana Margherita:

Using a spoon place 60-80g of pressed, peeled tomatoes, or chopped fresh cherry tomatoes into the center of the pizza base, then using a spiraling motion, cover the entire surface of the base with the sauce;

Using a spiraling motion, add salt to the surface of the tomato sauce;

Spread 80-100g of sliced Mozzarella STG, or Fior di Latte Appennino to that it forms a connect lath pattern on the surface of the tomato sauce;

Spread on the fresh basil leaves;

Using an oil canister and a spiraling motion starting from the center and moving out, pour 4-5g of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

5) Cooking:

Using a wood or aluminum peel, and a little flour, the pizzaiolo transfers, the pizza using a rotary movement and a quick shake, on to the cooking surface of the oven without disturbing the prepared pizza. The cooking of the “Pizza Napoletana STG” must be done exclusively in a wood fire oven which has reached the cooking temperature of 485°C, (905°F), which is essential to cook the Pizza Napoletana.

The pizzaiolo should monitor the cooking of the pizza by lifting up its edge. Using a metal peel, the pizzaiolo rotates the pizza, changing the edge that is facing the fire, and taking care to always replace the pizza on the same spot on the cooking surface, to ensure that the pizza does not burn because it is exposed to different temperatures.

It is important that the pizza is cooked in a uniform manner across its entire circumference.

At the conclusion of the cooking, the pizzaiolo removes the pizza from the oven with a metal peel and places it on a flat, dry work surface.

Cooking time should not surpass 60-90 seconds.

After the cooking, the pizza should have the following characteristics:

The tomato should have lost all excess water, and should be dense and consistent;

The mozzarella di Bufala DOP or the mozzarella STG should be melted on the surface of the pizza;

The basil, garlic, and the oregano will develop an intense aroma, and will appear brown, but not burned.

The following temperature guidelines should be followed:

  • Cooking surface temperature: 380ºC – 430ºC (716ºF – 806ºF).
  • Oven dome temperature: 485ºC about. (apx. 905ºF).
  • Cooking time: 60-90 seconds.

 

  • The temperature reached by the dough: 60-65ºC.
  • The temperature reached by the tomatoes: 75-80ºC.
  • The temperature reached by the oil: 75-85ºC.
  • The temperature reached from the mozzarella: 65-70ºC.

Article 4. Traditional Character

The pizza, as represented by a base of dough on which you can place food and which functions as a plate, has been present in various forms in the excavations of almost every known ancient civilization. The term “pizza” was first used in Italy in 997 in the Codex cajetanus of Gaeta.

The true “Pizza Napoletana”, as it has come to be known in Naples, a base of dough that is covered with tomatoes was born after a specific historical moment: the discovery of America, in 1492 by Cristoforo Colombo. It was the Genoan navigator that carried the tomato plant to Europe. In 1596, the tomato plant was exported to Naples from the Spain, where it was first used as an ornamental. The first historical documentation of the use of tomatoes in the cooking is found in “Gallant Cooking” (Naples – And. Raimondiane 1733) by Vincenzo Corrado, the chef to Prince Emanuele of Francavilla. The same Corrado, in a following treaty on the foods most commonly used in Naples, declares that the tomato was used for the preparation of pizza and macaroni, helping create two products for both the good fortune of Naples and the history of cooking. We can take these as the first official appearance of the “Pizza Napoletana” a base of dough covered with tomato.

The first pizzerias, without a doubt, were born at Naples and until the middle the 1900s; pizza was an exclusive product of Naples and of its Pizzerias. Since 1700 there were shops in Naples called “pizzeria” The fame of the Naples pizzeria began to grow when the king of Naples, Ferdinando of Bourbon, broke with the norm of the times, by entering the more renowned pizzerias to experience the traditional dish. From that moment, the “pizza” was transformed into a restaurant exclusively for the preparation of the “pizza”.

The pizzas most popular and famous in Naples are the”Marinara” created in 1734, and the”Margherita” created in 1796-1810 as an offering to the Queen of Italy during her visit to Naples in 1889. The colors of pizza (tomato, mozzarella, and Basil) remember the flag of Italy.

Over time, Pizzerias have sprung up all around Italy and abroad, but each of these still finds its roots in the surroundings of Naples. And they are all bound with the term”Neapolitan pizzeria” in that they all recall in some manner their connection with Naples, where for almost 300 years this product has remained unchanged.

In May 1984, virtually all the old Napoletani Pizzaioli came together to draw up the method for the Pizza Napoletana, which was signed and officially recorded by the notary Antonio Carannante of Naples.

Article 5. Features of the Final Product

a. Description of the Product:

“Pizza Napoletana” STG is presented as a product from the oven, round in shape, with a variable diameter than it should not surpass 35 cm, (14 inches), with the edge raised (crust), and with the central covered by the ingredients. The center of the pizza base will be 0.3 cm, (.11 inch thick), with crust 1-2 cm (.4-.8 inch). The pizza should be soft, elastic, and easily foldable into a “booklet”.

b. Appearance: “Pizza Napoletana” STG is characterized by a raised crust of golden color — a definite product from oven, soft to the touch and to the mouth. The ingredients framed in the center of the pizza by the red one of the tomato are perfectly blended with the olive oil.

Marinara, the green of the oregano and the white one of the garlic;

Pizza Margherita, the white one of the mozzarella browned all over, and the green one of the basil in leaves darkened from cooking.

The consistency should be soft, elastic, and bendable. The product is presented soft to the slice, with the characteristic flavors, a crust that presents the flavors of well-prepared and baked bread, the mixed flavors of the tomatoes, the aromas of the of the oregano, the garlic, and the basil, and the flavors of the cooked mozzarella. The pizza, as it emerges from the oven, delivers the characteristic aroma — perfumed and fragrant.

c.   Chemical Analysis

Pizza Napoletana STG – Type: Marinara

PRODUCT ANALYSIS – NUTRITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

  g/100 g Kcal/100 g Kjoule/100
Carbohydrates 25.48 102 432.4
Protein 4.04 16.16 68.5
Lipids (fats) 3.48 31.31 132.8
Energy Value/100 g   149.47 633.79

Pizza Napoletana STG- Type: Margherita

PRODUCT ANALYSIS – NUTRITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

  g/100 g Kcal/100 g Kjoule/100
Carbohydrates 19.31 77.26 327.58
Protein 8.05 32.21 136.6
Lipids (fats) 7.39 66.56 282.21
Energy Value/100 g   176.03 746.39

Pizza Napoletana STG- Type: Margherita Extra

PRODUCT ANALYSIS – NUTRITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

  g/100 g Kcal/100 g Kjoule/100
Carbohydrates 19.31 77.24 327.5
Protein 8.32 35.28 149.58
Lipids (Fats) 8.39 75.52 320.2
Energy Value/100 g   188.04 797.28

Article 6. Storage

The Pizza Napoletana should be consumed immediately, straight out of the oven, at the pizzeria. If the pizza were removed from the pizzeria to be eaten later, it would no longer carry the mark of a true”Pizza Napoletana”

Article 7. Signage and Brand

The pizzerias that are certified to produce true a “Pizza Napoletana” STG can display the logo described below:

The logo contains a profile of the gulf of Naples with Mount Vesuvius in red, along with a pizza containing the essential ingredient. A green border encircles the graphic. Under the graphic, the text states Pizza (in green) Neapolitan (in red), where the acronym STG appears in white in the second bar of the letter N.

Article 8. Monitoring

Pizzerias wanting certification for the STG “Pizza Napoletana” will be checked for the following standards: the correct methods and phases of mixture, rising and preparing the dough, as described above; monitoring closely the critical points (HACCP); verifying the usage of the ingredients and the methods outlined above; verifying the right storage and use ingredients (HACCP); checking that the pizzeria is following the structure outlined in the previous articles.

14 of the regulation (EEC) n. 2082/92.

More Reading:

Back to Overview of Vera Pizza Napoletana

FAQ for Vera Pizza Napoletana

Vera Pizza Napoletana Guidelines

Have any questions?