What started off as a simple peasant dish is now an international favorite. The history of pizzas can be traced back to Roman times where it originated as a flatbread topped with olive oil and herbs. As new ingredients such as mozzarella and tomatoes were introduced, the pizza started to take on the shape and taste that we so love today. In America however, what passes off as pizza can be categorized in two types - the cheesy deep pan variety and the crusty thin version. True Italian pizza on the other hand is a whole different dish entirely. Italians pride themselves on their traditional pizza recipe where the dough is light and crisp, and the toppings a simple combination of fresh produce and aromatic herbs all bathed in a tangy tomato sauce and sprinkled with only the best buffalo mozzarella cheese. Italians claim that once you have tasted the original, you will never feel the same about pizza again!As pizzas gained popularity in Italy, shops began to spring up creating pizzas with customized toppings. The famous Neapolitan style pizza quickly spread throughout the country and soon each region began developing their own local versions based on the freshest of ingredients available. Certain pizzas became menu staples including the classic Pizza Margherita,a simple tomato sauce with torn basil and cheese, the Pizza Marinara which has loads of garlic along with anchovies and oregano, the Pizza Capricciosa(mushrooms, olives, prosciutto and boiled egg), Pizza Pugliese (capers and olives) and Pizza Veronese with mushrooms and prosciutto. As you can see, each region adapted to the locally available ingredients in order to customize the freshest pizzas. Apart from the regional varieties, several pizza styles developed that became popular all over Italy. Even today, authentic Italian restaurants and pizzerias offer Pizza Quattro Formagi that uses four different types of local cheeses such as mozzarella, gorgonzola, ricotta and parmesan. Pizza Liguria is a novel take on a traditional recipe that uses basil pesto and no tomato sauce at all. Modern Italian restaurants now create a fusion of the old and the new when it comes to pizza, and many adventurous chefs revel in experimenting with new tastes and flavors to revamp an old favorite. No matter how unusual the combination, the results are always delicious.
When ordering pizza in an authentic Italian restaurant, remember that portions are usually individually sized. It is recommended that each diner order his or her own personal pizza. Unlike what passes off as pizza in the U.S., authentic Italian pizza has a thin crusty dough with a layer of rich tomato sauce and mozzarella. A traditional pizza is always made in a special wood-fire brick oven, which creates a crisp and light crust, never oily or heavy. In fact, Neapolitan wood fired pizzas are now regarded as the benchmark for pizzas all over the world. They stand for century-old traditions when it comes to making pizzas and are served at all authentic Italian pizzerias
When the Urban Food Group opened its latest Italian restaurant - Vivace in November 2009, proprietors, Stacey and Kevin Jennings successfully brought a little piece of Italy into Charlotte. A stylish Italian trattoria offering authentic Italian cuisine, Vivace boasts of a traditional Tuscan menu with seasonal specialties, an extensive house-cured meat and cheese selection, a fully stocked wine cellar, and most importantly the best classic thin crust pizzas on the East Coast. You can choose from classic favorites such as Margherita or Quattro Formaggi, to more experimental toppings such as salty egg or smoked chicken and artichokes. All made in a wood fired oven, these rustic ten-inch delights promise to change the way you look at pizza for good!
