Past to Present: Developments/Changes in the Production of Pizza Through the Years

Hello to everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. In today’s post, I want to talk to you about a sensitive but important topic for all the lovers of pizza. Throughout history, many things have changed and with these changes came developments in the production of pizza.

With respect to the machines and appliances used over the centuries, the core of the pizza has remained unchanged. Below, I shall discuss a few factors wherein the methods may have evolved, but the output has remained the authentic Neapolitan pizza that we’ve come to know and love. I will also candidly explain how I feel about each and every factor, in order to give you an insight on how an authentic Neapolitan pizza chef sees these changes.

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1. Cooking Technique: The technique of cooking Neapolitan pizza in a wood oven was born during the 1800′s and continues to this very day. I must say that technology has been beneficial in this aspect because, as we have discussed in a previous article, now there is a viable modern substitute: the wood stove. However, not many people know about it.

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2. Creation of Pizza Dough: Neapolitan pizza dough has remained relatively unchanged in the last century, withstanding the test of time and evolution. The basic components are still water, flour, fresh yeast and salt. Though there are some who disagree with me and add oil to the mix, I maintain that the secret is not to add oil, sugar or whatever: the Neapolitan pizza dough is all about how it originated. This is the reason why today we have an institution that upholds the preservation of the authentic Neapolitan recipe, to enforce the traditions established by the past.

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3. Ingredients: For this factor, I am of the opinion that there have been advantages and disadvantages related to the creation of pizza. On one hand, logically speaking, in the beginning of the last century the products that made up the pizza were definitely of a superior quality than those we find in Italy today. They are what we would call nowadays as organic. Also, as trade was done only for small companies, there was much emphasis on producing ingredients of the highest quality. Nowadays, with the advent of large manufacturing companies, the quality of products has certainly decreased in order to promote commercialization.

On the other hand, commercialization has also produced some benefits for pizza makers, as it has enabled them to carry out their craft abroad and bring pizza to an international audience because in today’s market, you can find ingredients anywhere in the world. The only thing we must keep in mind is to invest in high quality products in order to make a difference in the market and be able to rediscover the flavours of the past for our consumers.

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4. Tools: Here I would have to state right away that thanks to technology, we now have a number of instruments such as the mixer, refrigerator, pizza blades, etc. that allow us to perform our work faster and more efficiently. Innovations in technology have also given us a quick way to give a standard addition to our product.

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And that’s it for today’s article. In conclusion, I feel that while technology presents many advantages and disadvantages in the creation of pizza, as long as we utilize technology properly, we will still be able to enjoy the authentic traditional Neapolitan pizza and recapture the flavours and tastes of years past. For now, this is your friend Agostino saying, “Ciao!”