"naples" news and stories

In Naples, the annual Pizzafest was just concluded and the title of the world's best pizzaiolo (pizza-maker) was bestowed upon Makoto Onishi, a veritable pizza prodigy from Japan who bested 24 other pizza-makers, many of whom are Naples natives. This is the second time he has won the title; the first was back in 2003. The judges declared that his pie was the "perfect incarnation of 'real Neapolitan pizza.'"

Onishi came to Naples from Japan in 2002, looking for a job in a pizza restaurant and claimed his first title after only a year working in the Ischia pizzeria. After the victory, he was hired by a popular Tokyo pizzeria and enjoyed some media attention from his surprising win.

The secret of the perfect Neapolitan pizza, according to the judges of the Naples Pizzafest, is using traditional, local ingredients. Onishi adds that a "chef must be free of stress" to produce the perfect pizza.

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When I lived in Italy, one of my favorite antipasti dishes was a rare Italian cheese called Mozzarella di Bufala Campana. Made from buffalo milk in the central and southern regions of Italy, the mild, smoky cheese is similar inconsistency to what we in America know as fresh mozzarella.

I know what you're thinking: Buffalo milk?

Since when are people breeding water buffalo? Actually, the practice of raising water buffalo was developed in the marshlands between Naples and Caserta. Because the land was undeveloped, could farmers breed and raise buffalo in a roaming, wild state.

The cheese holds a "Protected Designation of Origin" from the European Union, which means that only products genuinely originating in that region are allowed in commercial use. So, if you do decide to make some cheese out of your friendly neighborhood water-buffalo, just know that you are going to have to call it by a different name if you want to sell it!

 Gadling has a great post about discovering the birthplace of the pizza. Many consider Italy in general to be the originator of the popular dish, even though others will argue that the only pizzas worth eating come from New York. The pizza, apparently, was invented in Naples, Italy, the city that is, according to the Times reporter, the birthplace of fast food. The locals eat fried, nut-studded donuts and cream-filled sfogliatelle for breakfast and have been seen to nosh on pizza while riding on the back of a moped, cruising the motorway at high speeds.

What's the difference between this kind of on-the-go eating and the more traditionally American definition of fast food? American fast food is food made quickly. Whether or not it is eater quickly is entirely up to the eater, though the food is usually presented in a way that makes it easy to consume while doing other things. The traditional Italian fast food may be simple and may be eaten quickly, but it does not have to be made quickly. The country is known for its slow food movement, after all, and Naples is certainly not left out. The bakers are kneading dough and lovingly shaping it in pizzerias because it is their passion to make the food, however long it takes, not just to make something fast, edible and get it out the door.

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