Hi the Epicurious and the Epicurious. Today I made a pizza. And it's work when you want to respect tradition! We can't imagine everything behind this Italian specialty. Not only its origins or its composition, but also all the anecdotes that surround it. Come on, today pizza is queen… in my workshop. The word pizza undoubtedly comes from the Greek: pinta which designates a kind of pancake of bread. In Italy, it is used from the 10th century, but wait a bit before licking your chops. At first, it means a kind of circular flat bread or sweet or savory specialties such as cheese or meat pies. Pizza as we know it today only appeared around the middle of the 18th century in Naples. It is an inexpensive dish that can be eaten in the street or in specialized restaurants. The pizzerias, but also in the fields. A famous Neapolitan pizza maker Gino Sorbillo ... They say he makes the best pizzas in the world. Have you tasted them? . Yes, and it is true that they are "molto bene"! In short, Gino told me that in the past, the peasants also fed on it when they worked in the fields.The pizza was folded twice on itself, wrapped in newspaper and slipped into the inside pocket of the jacket . Well, better avoid the tomato sauce. In 1889, Marguerite of Savoy was in Naples. Raffaele Esposito, a Neapolitan pizza maker, is responsible for making a pizza in order to introduce the queen to local gastronomy. After careful consideration, he decides to coat his pizza with tomato sauce, then garnish the bottom with mozzarella and top with basil leaves. Green, white, red. Well yeah! These are the colors of the Italian flag. Well seen, the pizza seduces the eyes and the palate of the queen. In her honor, this pizza is named Margherita. And today it is the most popular pizza in the world. At the start of the 20th century, pizza crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Direction the United States with the Neapolitan migrants who have left to settle in New York. The first American pizzeria opened in 1905: Lombardi's. It is installed in the district of Little Italy in Manhattan. Little by little, the pizza seduces the hearts and especially the stomachs of all Americans. But it wasn't until after WWII that pizza became popular all over the world. And we eat it even in space. Look, on September 7, 2021, a pizza party was even organized on board the ISS. Thomas Pesquet filmed it and posted it. "It almost feels like a Saturday on Earth. They say a good chef never reveals his secrets. But I made a video for your enjoyment. Anything but pineapple. It would be a grave offense in Italy." Obviously the first pizzas had nothing to do with those we eat today, even on board the ISS. Until the beginning of the 20th century, pizza was made from a very thin dough embellished with garlic, olive oil, a little tomato sauce, oregano and sometimes a few slices of prosciutto. Ham if you prefer. Sometimes even small fish. It was only after World War II that we began to use more and more ingredients for more and more generous toppings. In the 1960s, a Canadian even had the funny idea of adding pineapple to create the famous Hawaiian pizza. And today there is something for everyone. And you, with which ingredients do you prefer it? Feel free to share your tastes and recipes in the comments. My favorite is the queen, the Regina. And to get the perfect pizza, even scientists have stepped in! Yes, yes, it's time on the slate. The English mathematician, Eugenia Cheng, established the following formula: t over d, factor of r6 over r3 minus - 15². I knew that pizza was not pie! It allows you to determine the right amount of toppings to use depending on the diameter of the pizza. Because if there is not enough ... We eat our fingers…. And if there is too much, the pizza is overloaded and the dough is very soft. Here, speaking of topping, New Zealand researchers wanted to know which cheeses to use to make the best pizza possible. They tried mozzarella, edam, emmental, gruyere, and cheddar. Using cameras and software, they observed the browning, and the formation of small bubbles, as well as the fat level of all these cheeses after cooking. Their conclusion: to achieve the perfect balance between texture and flavor, nothing like a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar. Without forgetting, of course, the knack of the pizza maker. In traditional pizzerias, the pizza masters perform in public, a bit like artists. They turn the dough from one hand to the other and toss it in the air with a very quick gesture. Here, I'll try. Come on, it turns, as they say. Oh bah that's smart! This is called receiving a hit of “dough”. You could say that. In 2017, the Italians registered the art of the Neapolitan pizza maker in the intangible heritage of humanity of Unesco. There are even world pizza championships. Hundreds of pizza makers come from all over the world to compete to make the biggest pizza, the fastest to make or simply the best pizza. Anyway, all these gestures obey extremely precise rules. Let's go to the kitchen. To garnish the dough, for example, it is imperative to place the ingredients from the center outwards, turning clockwise, and forming an imaginary six. The pizza can then be cooked. And in an oven heated with beech wood! Exclusively beech. And yes, in Naples, we do not laugh with pizza. In France either, more than a billion pizzas are sold each year! That's the equivalent of 10 kilograms of pizzas per person! It's simple with the Americans, we are the biggest pizza consumers on the planet, ahead of the Italians. Come on, it's time to leave you. I'll take my pizza quarters. See you soon and if you liked this video, don't hesitate to subscribe. I will feast.
