Crunchy, sticky, and chewy are all used to describe the texture of pizza. This suggests that pizza is actually diverse. Pizza made from wheat flour, yeast, water, salt, olive oil, and other ingredients can have a different texture depending on the place, even in its country of origin, Italy. In addition, pizzas that are popular around the world have their own unique characteristics depending on the quality of humidity and water. Here we will introduce the history and lesser-known characteristics of pizza.

Italy has a long history of pizza, the Italian word "pizza" appeared in historical documents in the 10th century. In modern times, it was only after Columbus introduced tomatoes from the Americas that pizza took on its current shape and flavor.

Before then, Neapolitans ate pizza with lard. While pizza has a long history as a street food, its entry into European culinary culture came later in the 20th century, when a combination of tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil pizza proposed in 1870 shot to fame after being named after Margherita, then Crown Princess of Italy.

The Neapolitan pizza, which is characterized by its soft and chewy texture, is characterized by the fact that no olive oil is added when mixing the dough. Also characteristic of Neapolitan pizza is that it is made entirely by hand without the use of a rolling pin. Depending on the pizza artisan, the amount of moisture in the dough may also change from 57% to 65%. In stark contrast to Neapolitan pizza's biggest competitor, Roman pizza, Neapolitan pizza has a shorter cooking time after being placed in the oven.

Pizza artisans in Rome are clearly upset that Neapolitan pizza has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. In Italy, Naples and Rome are a delicious duo of pizza pies. So let's find out a little more about what makes a Roman pizza special.

Roman pizza is characterized by a very thin texture and crunchy taste. Because it is a thin pizza pie, the authentic Roman pizza is so big that it does not fit on some plates.

In order to make these pizza pies, artisans use rolling pins, but there are skilled artisans who do it by hand instead of using utensils. Roman pizza has 55% less water in the dough than Neapolitan pizza. Also, Roman pizzas containing olive oil are generally made at low temperatures.

In Rome, there are more traditional pizzas than the regular round pizza. These traditional pizzas contain grains, barley, etc., and usually herbs are added to the dough. In addition, traditional pizza dough has a very high moisture content of 75-80%.

Some traditional pizzas ferment for up to 24 hours. Among the unique traditional pizzas scattered throughout Rome are quadrangular ones in addition to round ones. In Rome, traditional pizzas are cut and sold. These pizzas that are cut into pieces and sold have a variety of ingredients from soft and sticky to crunchy.

The two major cities known for their pizza are Naples and Rome, while in Italy there are also Genoa and Sicily, both of which specialize in pizzas with a soft texture. The former is often called "Foster's" and the latter is described as sponge-like.