The grandeur of pizza

For the first time, Neapolitan pizza was presented in the inspiring setting of the Carrousel Du Louvre during two ateliers gourmets included in the programme of Le Grand Tasting, le festival des meilleurs vins, curated by Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve, which took place in Paris on November 28-29th. This was also the occasion for the first stop abroad for Le Strade della Mozzarella, a project that aims at the valorisation, among professionals in the field, of Mozzarella di Bufala Campana and of the great certified products that are part of the Mediterranean diet, namely pizza from Naples, pasta from Gragnano, tomatoes del piennolo from Vesuvius and San Marzano.

The protagonists in the two ateliers were masters pizza chefs Franco Pepe and Salvatore Salvo who, in total collaboration, helping each other, presented through two pizzas the best in the agriculture of Campania. Franco Pepe presented a Margherita with buffalo milk mozzarella and San Marzano tomatoes, Salvatore Salvo, Margherita, also with buffalo milk mozzarella and tomatoes del piennolo from Vesuvius. Perfectly made, also thanks to the “Ferrari of electric ovens”, the latest model produced by Izzo Forni the Neapolitan firm which created an electric oven that is suitable for making Neapolitan pizza, reaching almost 500°C, made with stone from Sorrento. It bakes the pizza in less than one minute and is easy to transport. A revolution, especially for the world of pizza, given that in some places it is not possible to install a wood oven.

The participants in the two lessons were guided in the discovery of Neapolitan pizza and its unique characteristics – soft, easy to digest, fragrant, and capable of melting in the mouth – by the director of the Guide dell’Espresso Enzo Vizzari, who also explained some cultural elements that are deposited in three centuries of history. On this occasion, the pairing with Champagne Ruinart and Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Villa Gemma by Masciarelli was offered.

To finish this away game in Paris, with the presence of Ambassador Giandomenico Magliano, in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, bloggers and journalists appreciated Mozzarella di Bufala Campana POD, illustrated by the director of the consortium Antonio Lucisano.

During a long afternoon at Rebellato’s historic pizzeria La Famiglia, Franco Pepe and Salvatore Salvo were joined by Gennaro Nasti, host pizza-chef, and Enzo Coccia. Thus a long gastronomic journey began, discovering the various facets of Neapolitan pizza: Enzo Coccia proposed his Fried pizzas including the very appreciated one stuffed with fried pork and the montanara with tomatoes del piennolo from Vesuvius; Franco Pepe his historic Pizza a libretto, a margherita with buffalo milk mozzarella and San Marzano tomatoes with a specially soft dough that rests on the stove before being served folded and eaten; Salvatore Salvo his Cosacca, an emblematic pizza in which the unique characteristics of the dough stand out together with the sweetness of the tomatoes from Corbara, Gennaro Nasti, fully respecting the idea of Neapolitan pizza, had the ability of making it international with the use of foie gras and baked San Marzano tomatoes, uniting Naples, France and Spain, where he lived and worked for a long time before moving to Paris.

To complete the gastronomic offer, there was a section dedicated to Pasta di Gragnano in which chef Alfonso Caputo presented Pastificio dei Campi’s spaghetti in two versions: with a sauce of tomatoes from Corbara and “alla Nerano” that is to say creamed with fried courgettes and cheese.

Lots of attention was paid to this immersion in the culture of Campania by the guests, especially journalists and bloggers: I recalled the environment as being more close on its historic pillars, I discover, instead, that there’s interest and curiosity. At the end of the evening one is left with the memory of the arrival, the inspection on the eve of the event, the walk down the Carrousel du Louvre from the “pyramid”, a few steps from great artworks, the sensation of majesty it impressed on the protagonists, that minimal tension that stresses and helps to do things with rigour.