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There are many restaurants around the world that serve authentic Italian pizza, but to find the best, most authentic, and most traditional pizza, there's no place that can surpass Naples (Italy) – where the art of pizza-making has been recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee as one of the world's intangible cultural heritage.
Making an authentic Neapolitan pizza requires a great deal of skill.
When the first tomatoes from America arrived in Europe in the 16th century, people avoided eating them for fear they were poisonous. However, by the end of the 18th century, when poor people in Naples began adding tomatoes to flatbreads and making it a more common staple food, the world's first pizza was born.
An authentic Neapolitan pizza needs to be baked in a domed wood-fired oven.
Thus, pizza has become an inseparable part of Neapolitan culture. In 2016, Naples broke the Guinness World Record for the longest pizza in the world, stretching over 1.8 km. In 2017, UNESCO officially recognized the Neapolitan pizza-making process—from kneading and twisting the dough, tossing it into the air to oxidize it, and baking it in an oak wood-fired oven—as an intangible cultural heritage of the world.
Napoli set a record for the world's longest pizza, measuring over 1.8 km.
However, not every pizza produced is recognized as authentic Neapolitan pizza. The True Neapolitan Pizza Association has set very strict standards for an authentic Neapolitan pizza. First, the pizza must be baked in a domed wood-fired oven, the crust must be hand-kneaded, and the diameter of the pizza must not exceed 33 cm, or the center must not be thicker than 1/10 inch. In addition, to create an authentic Neapolitan pizza, it must be made with Neapolitan flour, Neapolitan tomatoes, and Sicilian cooking oil.
Pizza making has become an integral part of Neapolitan culture.
By the end of the 19th century, after being introduced to the United States, pizza became a familiar dish for many Italians in cities like New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. And then, the New York-style pizza was born, originating from Neapolitan-style pizza in Italy. However, even though pizza has evolved into many diverse and modern styles, Naples, Italy, remains the place you should visit to enjoy an authentic, traditional pizza.
