BERGAMO GIORNI 7: PIZZA PIZZA PIZZA

I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY MORE THAN ONE PERSON ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASSION THAT I HAVE A GREAT EYE FOR THE OBVIOUS...SO I START THIS COLUMN TODAY BY STATING SOMETHING THAT MAY BE UBIQUITOUSLY OBVIOUS TO MOST OF THE WORLD; FOOD IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO THE ITALIAN SOLDI....AND THE ITALIAN PEOPLE ARE VERY GOOD AT CREATING SOME OF THE VEY BEST RECIPES ON THE PLANET.

BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD IS PIZZA...IT IS EVERYWHERE IN THIS LONG PENINSULA OF A COUNTRY...AND WITH IT EVERYONE HAS THEIR FAVORITE PLACE IN WHICH TO EAT IT..AND THE ITALIANS KNOW EXACTLY WHO DOES IT WELL AND TO THOSE WHO SHOULD FIND EMPLOYMENT ELSEWHERE.

IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT IN THE VERY CITY THAT IT WAS SO MERCIFULLY CREATED, NAPLES, THEY HAD A SENATE HEARING A FEW SUMMERS BACK THAT GOVERNED THE VERY RUDIMENTS OF WHAT A PIZZA SHOULD BE..IN TYPICAL ITALIAN STYLE THE SENATE ARGUED AND DELIBERATED FOR DAYS ON WHAT THE INGREDIANTS REQUIRED TO MAKE PROPER PIZZA..MY FAVORITE LINE TO COME FROM THE HEARINGS WAS THIS.."PINEAPPLE ON A PIZZA AIN'T A PIZZA...ITS A CAKE..IT DON'T NEVER BELONG ."

SOME GOLDEN RULES THAT THE NAPOLEATANOS EMPHATICALLY ENFORCE ABOUT PIZZA ARE THESE: 1) PIZZA CAN ONLY BE COOKED IN WOOD BURNING BRICK OVENS....2) THE CRUST HAS TO BE SOFT AND LIGHT, THATS WHY THE DOUGH IS MADE THE DAY BEFORE ITS USED, ALLOWING THE YEAST TO RISE FOR AT LEAST 10-15 HOURS...3)THE PIZZAIOLO (PIZZA MAKER) MUST BE A REAL MAESTRO, THE DOUGH STRETCHING TECHNIQUE IS  ESSENTIAL AND YOU NEED 2-3 YEARS OF APPRENTICESHIP TO BECOME A PIZZAIOLO...ETC..

THE VERY FIRST PIZZA AND THE ONLY PIZZA MADE WENT ON FOR A CENTURY. IT WAS SIMPLY THE PIZZA MARINARA..JUST DOUGH AND POMODORO(TOMATO SAUCE)...IT IS STILL VERY POPULAR..

BUT IN 1889 RAFFAELE ESPOSITO, WORKING AT A PIZZERIA IN NAPLES, WAS COMMISIONED TO MAKE 3 DIFFERENT KINDS OF PIZZA FOR THE ROYAL VISIT OF KING UMBERTO 1 AND QUEEN MARGHERITA OF SAVOY..THE QUEEN'S FAVORITE PIZZA WAS THAT OF THE ITALIAN FLAG: BASIL LEAVES FOR GREEN, MOZZARELLA FOR WHITE, AND TOMATOES FOR RED...

NAMED PIZZA MARGHERITA IN HER HONOR, THIS IS HOW THIS PIZZA IS STILL UNIVERSALLY KNOWN..

WITH THE CRUST PAPER THIN AND THE MOZZARELLA SPREAD THIN AND THE TOMATOE SAUCE LIGHT AND ZESTY AND FRESH, PIZZA IS NOT AN IL PRANZO OR A LA CENA..IT IS A STARTER..IT IS AN APPETIZER..IT IS SERVED PRIOR TO THE LA PRIMA PIATTI OR SECONDO PIATTI

MY FAVORITE PIZZA TO DATE WAS AT PEPE'S FRIENDS' TRATTORIA IN MILANO..ALLOW ME TO DESCRIBE..

OUT COMES A FRESH PIZZA MARINARA..ROUND, HOT, FRESH, LIGHT...TOMATO SAUCE AND OREGANO SPEAD PERFECTLY AROUND A CRISP SALTINE CRACKER THIN TOASTED CRUSY..THEN WHAT FOLLOWED WAS AMAZING...ON A SEPARATE PLATE CAME TWO ROUND SOFT SOFTBALL SIZE HELPINGS OF FRESHLY MADE BUFFALO MOZZARELLA...AND ON ANOTHER PLATE CAME A GENEROUS SLICING OF PARMA MADE PROSCIUTTO...FROM THOSE TWO PLATES YOU CUT AND CARVED AND ADDED THESE INGREDIANTS TO A SLICE OF .PIZZA MARINARA....FOLDED PROPERLY IT WAS SIMPLY....HEAVENLY!!

AFTER THE JOY OF CREATING THE GREATEST SUPERFOOD KNOW TO MAN TRAGEDY STRUCK..SEATED ACROSS FROM ME WAS THE DEAN OF OUR OFFENSIVE LINE, PEPE...SEATED ACONTO TO ME WAS MY AMICO, DR. BOB...AFTER HIS PIZZA MARGHERITA SHOWED UP HE REACHED FOR THE PARMESAN CHEESE AND ATTEMPTED TO GRATE PARMESAN CHEESE OVER THE PIZZA MARGHERITA..AT THAT VERY MOMENT WHEN THE PARMESAN WAS TILTING....ALL 265 POUNDS OF PEPE CAME FLYING OUT OF HIS CHAIR WITH RAGE AND DISDAIN AND UTTER CONTEMPT..PARMESAN ON A PIZZA WAS LIKE A HERETIC SPLATTERING OIL ALL OVER THE MANA LISA..NIENTE!NIENTE!NIENTE!...

FROM THIS NEAR TRAGEDY COMES THIS REMINDER AND ITALIAN WISDOM..NEVER PUT PARMESAN CHEESE ON A PIZZA..DON'T ASK..JUST SURRENDER...WE THEN RUSHED PEPE TO THE OSPEDIALE TO TREAT HIM FOR THE SEIZURE THAT DR. BOB CREATED

ONE UTENSIL MISSING FROM THIS DAILY GASRONOMIA FEAST IS THE PIZZA CUTTER..HAVEN'T EYE-BALLED ONE YET ANYWHERE..ITS EITHER SLICED OR CUT WITH COLTELLO AND FORSCHETTO...OR IT IS WEDGED APART USIG DEXTERIOUS FINGERTIPS..EITHER WORKS FOR ME

I CHALLENGE MY NEXT VISITOR TO BERGAMO TO INDULGE IN NO OTHER FOOD GROUP SAVE PZZA...CALAZIONE..IL PRANZO...LA CENA...WHILE VARIETY IS CERTAINLY THE SPICE OF LIFE YOU WLL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED BY THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD IN ALL OF ITALIA

I WOULD ENTERTAIN YOU FURTHER WITH TALES AND YARNS OF THIS SUPERFOOD, BUT I AM RAVAGED FOR MY DAILY DOSE AND CAN NO LONGER GO FORWARD..IT WILL BE MY14TH DAY OF PIZZA IN 15 DAYS I HAVE BEEN HERE...I AM NOT SURPRISED THAT THE ONE DAY I REFRAINED I ALSO WAS IN A VERY VERY BAD MOOD THAT DAY

WHY DEPRIVE THE BRAIN..THE SOUL..AND THE STOMACH OF THE ONE THING I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT...PIZZA!!!

MANGIARE  ANYBODY?