We respect and honour the craft of traditional Neapolitan Pizza. It’s our passion and pleasure to share with Havelock North.
A Slice of History
Pizza as we know it today was invented in Naples, Italy. Before the 1700s, flatbreads existed but were never topped with tomatoes — now a defining characteristic of pizza. Tomatoes were brought to Europe in the 16th century by explorers returning from Peru, but they were believed to be poisonous by many Europeans until poor peasants in Naples began to top their flatbread with it in the late 18th century. The dish soon became popular, with visitors to Naples seeking out the poorer neighbourhoods to try the local specialty.
What is a Neapolitan Pizza?
An authentic Neapolitan pizza has a crust made from a dough that is made with highly-refined Italian type 00 wheat flour, Neapolitan or fresh brewer’s yeast (not dry yeast), water, and salt. The dough must be kneaded and formed by hand, without the help of a rolling pin. The dough is topped with raw, hand crushed San Marzano tomatoes from Italy, fior di latte (mozzarella cheese made from cow’s milk), or mozzarella di Bufala, fresh basil, and extra-virgin olive oil. The ingredients must be all-natural and fresh. The pizza is baked for 60–90 seconds (baking time cannot exceed 90 seconds) in a minimum 850°F (450 degree celsius) oven with a wood fire.
What to Expect
Neapolitan pizzas are typically 10-12″ in diameter. Alessandro makes a rustic 12″, which he thinks is the perfect size for one hungry person, or for two people wanting a snack!
The key to a good Neapolitan pizza is simplicity, and for that reason we usually just stick to a few top-quality ingredients on our pizzas. Neapolitan pizzas should have a thin layer of crispness to the crust, with an interior that is moist and cloud-like with good, stretchy chew, and plenty of flavour. You want a leopard-spotted look, with many small dark spots surrounded by paler dough. True Neapolitan pizzas are not stiff—you can’t easily pick them up as a slice, so you may need to fold!