HISTORY OF NAPLES-STYLE PIZZA

Neapolitan pizza, also known as Naples-style pizza or pizza Napoletana, made with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella (bufala campana or fior di latte di agerola), fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil. Traditionally, the two types of tomatoes used are either San Marzano tomatoes or Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio. For mozzarella, one can use either fior di latte, made from fresh cow’s milk or mozzarella di Bufala, made from water buffalo milk that’s typically raised in the Campania region, Italy. 

According to tradition, in 1889, 28 years after the unification of Italy, Chef Raffaele Esposito and his wife of “Pizzeria Brandi” created a pizza resembling the colors of the Italian flag: red (tomato), white (mozarella), and green (basil). Inspired by the visit of Queen Margherita of Savoy in Naples, she fell in love with the simple yet delicious flavors of this pizza and so the Espositos named their creation after her: The Margherita. Eventually, this style of pizza inspired today’s New York-style pizza, which was first made by Italian immigrants in the United States in the early 20th century. The basis of a true pizza Napoletana is the intentional fresh ingredients and the brick oven cooking method. The pizza is cooked in a brick oven at exactly 485°C for 90 seconds. Pizza Heights uses only authentic ingredients imported from Italy.