How many people ate their first pizza from Pizza Hut?

Twenty-seven years ago, Pizza Hut had just entered China and opened its first store in Dongzhimen, Beijing. At that time, Pizza Hut was simply "born noble", with bright and clean windows, shiny knives and forks, and an average pizza cost 22 yuan - one-sixth of the monthly salary of ordinary employees.

In 1990, the first Pizza Hut store officially opened in Beijing

At that time, going to Pizza Hut to eat pizza was a solemn ceremony. You had to silently memorize Western food etiquette and strictly follow the "left fork, right knife" "", he gracefully cut off a corner (although he secretly complained that the edge of the pizza was thick and difficult to cut), put it in his mouth, then wiped the corners of his mouth with a paper towel, and quietly suppressed a burp in his stomach.

The generation of Chinese people who grew up eating Pizza Hut probably had the illusion of being refreshed when they saw Italian pizza for the first time: "What?! Why is it so thin?! The ingredients are so... Where is the knife and fork? Can you eat it with your hands? ...But it seems to be quite delicious."

People who don’t like thin bottoms can still use it. Discover the other extreme of true love in American-style pizza with plenty of ingredients. A friend who returned from studying in the United States described Chicago deep-dish pizza to me this way: "You don't know, that pizza is almost as thick as your thumb, and half of it is cheese. Pick up a piece, and it's brushed... tsk tsk!" I was polite. He smiled and nodded, pretending not to notice his newly grown layers of fat.

But despite being fat, we still can’t give up pizza. The exquisite Italian pizza has strict requirements from flour, sauce, cheese to oven. But you can just find a pie, put some toppings on it and bake it, and you can justifiably call it pizza, and it will always be unpalatable - to be honest, the person who invented pizza is probably a genius.

1 | Who invented pizza?

However, we will never know who first came up with this wonderful idea of ??putting meat and vegetables on the dough and baking them together.

After all, people have been adding onions, garlic and herbs to thin flatbreads since ancient Greece. There are also different opinions on the prototype of pizza. Some people say that it is pita bread in the Middle East - even the word pizza may come from Pita; others believe that its close relative is Focaccia in Italy. You see, sprinkle some olive oil and herbs on the simple dough, and sometimes add some black olives and tomatoes, is it similar to pizza?

2 | Italian pizza starts from Naples

The prototype of pizza appeared very early, but the Italian pizza with cheese and tomato as the main ingredients that we are familiar with did not exist until It was only born at the end of the 17th century.

After all, there were no tomatoes in Europe. At the beginning of the 16th century, after the discovery of the New World, tomatoes native to South America were introduced to Europe. Europeans did not dare to eat this strangely red fruit at first, and only kept it for viewing in the garden. Later, an Italian doctor risked his life to eat tomatoes, only to discover that they were not poisonous... Therefore, by the end of the 17th century, tomatoes were already used as daily ingredients in the Naples region of Italy.

At first, the residents of Naples didn’t take pizza seriously at all. They just put tomatoes, cheese and various sea fish on the flatbread and grilled it casually, which was enough to satisfy their hunger. In 1831, Samuel Morse saw Neapolitan pizza for the first time and wrote in horror: "It is covered with sliced ??tomatoes, sprinkled with small fish and black pepper, and other who-knows-what the hell stuff. It looks like Just like stinky bread taken out of the sewer.”

However, a dish as tolerant as pizza can be regarded as a cheap and casual food for the poor, and can also be used as a delicacy on the plates of princes and nobles. . In 1889, King Umberto I and Queen Margaret of Italy came to Naples and suddenly became interested in this common delicacy. They condescended to invite a local chef to make a pizza for them. The chef prepared three flavors, the most famous of which is based on tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil. The three colors of red, white and green happen to be the colors of the Italian flag, and the main theme is full - this is what became famous later. La Pizza Margherita.

Italian people are casual about everything, but they are inexplicably obsessed with food. After Naples pizza became famous, the local Pizza Standards Association (l'Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana?) was established in 1984, which has detailed regulations on the recipes and methods of authentic Neapolitan pizza. The flour must be extremely fine No. 00 flour ground from the core of wheat. The tomatoes must be of the San Marzano variety with low acidity and refreshing sweetness. The raw material for making cheese must be buffalo milk, and must be used for baking pizza. The open-fire fireplace uses fruit wood to ignite a blazing flame. The temperature in the center of the fireplace is as high as 500°C, and the pizza can be cooked in 90 seconds. Basically, the delicious flavor has been locked in before the dough, tomatoes, and cheese can react. Firmly set, locked in the pizza.

This stupid association even has regulations on the taste of pizza.

There are only two flavors that qualify to be called Neapolitan pizza. One is the Margherita (La Pizza Margherita) I just talked about, and the other is La Pizza Marinara (La Pizza Marinara), which is made with tomatoes, garlic, oregano leaves and olive oil. It is also called "Sailor Pizza". ”, because it does not contain cheese, the raw materials can be stored for a long time, and it is very suitable for sailors to cook while sailing at sea.

3 | Do all Italian pizzas have thin crust?

Neapolitan pizza is so famous that it has almost become synonymous with Italian pizza, so that when people mention Italian pizza, they think of the keywords tomato, mozzarella cheese, and thin base. In fact, pizzas in different regions of Italy are different, and thick-crust pizza also has its place, but there is no such thing as thin-crust vs thick-crust pizza.

Sicilian Pizza

Sfincione

Dough: The amount of yeast is three times that of ordinary Italian pizza, the fermentation time is doubled, and the taste is soft

Ingredients: mostly tomatoes, anchovies, bread crumbs and strong cheese (such as calciocavallo cheese?)

Sicilian pizza is also called "thick sponge". Just by looking at the name, you can imagine how soft it is. Taste. But unlike American pizza, its ingredients are still fresh, mainly tomatoes and anchovies.

Sardenara Pizza

Sardenara

Pasta: Thicker, using high-gluten flour, the taste is more tough

Ingredients : Mostly onions, garlic, black olives, anchovies, cheese and oregano leaves are also used

This kind of pizza has a thicker bottom, which is very similar to modern pizza, but it is a kind of pizza with a long history. pizza. In fact, traditionally, Sardinara pizza does not add cheese, but later it compromised on people's tastes. After all, "cheese is power."

Roman Square Pizza

Pizza al Taglio

Food: Hand-rolled, the texture becomes crispier after baking

Ingredients: Very You can choose from anything from just adding cheese to a deluxe set menu.

Most Italian pizza dough is thrown out like a flying pancake, with the exception of Roman pizza. The chef has to use a rolling pin to roll it into a square, wide and thin shape. Once it is put into the oven, it will be baked into a crispy and fragrant biscuit base. Fans of thin bottoms must not miss it.

4 | What’s the situation with American-style pizza, which is often criticized?

In fact, pizza had already landed in the United States with Italian immigrants as early as the 19th century, but it has always been unknown in the Italian community.

However, delicious food knows no borders, and this is often most evident during war.

Although the United States and Italy were enemies during World War II, American soldiers stationed near Italy were fascinated by pizza. After the war, they promoted this magical recipe in their hometown, and pizza became popular in the United States and gradually became popular around the world.

But the Italians didn’t appreciate this. When they saw the pizza modified by the Americans, they almost fainted with anger. In order to be full, Americans dared to put anything on the pizza, including cheese. You can increase the amount at will, and the dough can be infinitely thicker, which is completely contrary to the fresh style of Italian pizza. But you have to admit, sometimes, this high-calorie sinful food is really delicious.

New York Pizza

New York Style

Flatbread: Made of high-gluten flour, refrigerated and fermented, the texture is thin and soft, and very chewy

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Ingredients: mostly dry mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, sauce, etc.

Among the many pizzas that irritate Italians, New York pizza is considered a relatively mild one. Its dough is closer to Italian pizza. It has a thin base, but is more flexible. You can roll up a corner and eat it on the go. This setting is a favorite among New Yorkers who are too busy to eat.

If you go out and observe on the street, you will find that many New York white-collar workers in suits and ties will roll up their sleeves before eating pizza. This is because New York pizza is greasy, and if you don’t roll up your sleeves, the oil will drip down and remain. on the shirt. In addition, there is an urban legend in New York that there is no authentic New York pizza outside of New York. New Yorkers firmly believe that the hard local water is the key to the unique toughness of New York pizza.

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza

Deep dish pizza

Dough: thicker and softer, with higher edges

Ingredients: How Where does the high calorie come from?

This is a niche and unique pizza. The biggest feature is that the toppings are flipped - unlike other pizzas, its cheese is not on top, but is hidden in the tomato sauce. under. The dough is thick and soft, the edges are raised high, the fillings are generously placed, and the more cheese strings the better. The pizza pan is often coated with a layer of oil in advance to give the crust a crispy feel like frying. As for the calories...this is the pizza invented by football players, you know.

California Pizza

California Style

Flatbread: Medium thickness, soft texture

Ingredients: The most creative

< p>California pizza, which has only been around for more than 30 years, is like its hometown of California. Its biggest feature is that it is tolerant and eclectic. As long as it’s something edible, whether it’s salmon, arugula, chicken satay or Peking duck, you can put it all on the bread and put it in the oven for some training. When it comes out, it will be a charming California guy, ah no, California pizza. . Because the biggest feature is that it does not stick to tradition, and later all kinds of imaginative pizzas can be counted in this genre.

A brief summary

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So having said all that, where can I go to eat delicious pizza? Penguin has traveled all over Shanghai (again) to find the most reliable American and Italian pizza for you.

See you tomorrow?

Text | Yiqi Chi

Pictures | Min

Some are from the Internet

Edit | Good morning Liu