Pedigreed pizza

The pizza chef scooped up a small handful of flour. With a practiced eye, he tossed the flour onto his pizza peel, a shiny aluminum paddle on a long handle. The peel was then slid underneath a just-made Margherita pie on the chef’s countertop. The pizza took flight into the wood-fired oven to be transformed in a matter of minutes into a perfect creation. The alchemy and artistry that combined were taking place at Pasquale’s Pizza Napoletana in South Kingstown.

Science meets tradition is one way to describe the making of authentic Neapolitan pizza. In Naples, Italy, pizza making is regulated by Italian law. The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana is a nonprofit based in Naples that safeguards and promotes the culture of real Neapolitan pizza worldwide.

VPN certification is difficult to achieve. Until two years ago, no pizza maker in the state had attempted it. Now there are three certified VPN pizza makers, or “pizzaioli,” in Rhode Island.

The newest VPN-certified restaurant in the state is Avvio in Cranston, part of the Newport Restaurant Group. “Neapolitan pizza making dates back hundreds of years and is truly an art form,” said Kevin DiLibero, the restaurant group’s director of culinary arts and certified pizzaiolo. “This dish captures the absolute essence of Italian food, and by abiding by the correct guidelines and methodology, we are showing our customers that we care and are paying respect to this classic dish.”

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To achieve this certification, chefs/pizza makers must complete rigorous on-site training in the proper methods of dough making, kneading and baking of Neapolitan-style pizzas.

Every facet of the dish has requirements. The certification rules state that only “fresh, all-natural, non-processed ingredients (preferably imported from Naples or the Campania region) are acceptable. Highly refined “type 00” wheat flour is the only kind acceptable. It must be milled to an exacting standard that yields a powdery consistency. Tomatoes may fall into three permitted categories of fresh and one type of canned, all from the San Marzano region. The Mozzarella cheese must be certified “bufala” – from the water buffalo – although the conventional dairy-cow variety is allowed if it is certified “fior di latte” – the “flower of the milk,” also known as cream. The olive oil must be extra virgin, basil from the entire leaf. Garlic and oregano must meet exacting standards. All types of fat must be excluded from the dough. Pizza makers must also have the proper equipment and tools, which include: a wood-fired dome oven at a cooking temperature of approximately 900 degrees; a spiral, fork or double-arm mixer to knead the pizza dough; a proper work surface with a wood or aluminum pizza peel to place the pizza into the oven; and a long-handle metal round peel to turn and remove the pizza from the oven.

Few modern requirements have found their way into the VPN certification process. There is no allowance for gluten-free dough in whole or in part. GMOs are not mentioned in the requirements, although food trucks are … and they are not eligible to be certified. Change comes slowly to the pizza certifiers of Naples, which may not be a bad thing at all. n

Bruce Newbury’s Dining Out radio talk show is heard Saturdays at 11 a.m. on 1540 AM WADK and through the TuneIn mobile app. Email Bruce at Bruce@brucenewbury.com.

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