In recent days, the European Union has declared that Pizza Napolitana (known as “Margherita”) is now recognized as a “regional specialty”, rather akin to French Champagne and German beer. The EU’s declaration on Neapolitan pizza means that anyone who hopes to sell it in Europe under the official title, Pizza Napolitana, should theoretically be subject to strict inspections.
The rules, published in the European Union’s Official Journal, were drawn up by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana (the True Neapolitan Pizza Association) state the following:
- The pizza must be no more than 35cm (14in) in diameter and must be no thicker than a third of a centimeter at its center, while rising to 2cm at the crust.
- Tomatoes used on Pizza Napoletana must be the San Marzano variety grown in the fertile soil at Mount Vesuvius’ base, the oil must be extra virgin, and the cheese should be nothing but buffalo mozzarella. Furthermore, all the ingredients must be from the Campania region.
- The oven must be wood-fired, and the pizza must cook in less than two minutes.
These rigorous specifications did not dissuade the Australians from attempting to break a recently-set world record for the longest line of pizza (EU officials can rest easily as we don’t think they made true Pizza Napoletana).
Yesterday, as thousands of spectators looked on, 25 chefs in the Italian neighborhood of Leichhardt, in Sydney’s inner west, used 500kg of flour, 250 liters of tomato sauce and 350kg of mozzarella cheese to create 826 freshly cooked pizzas that stretched 221 meters when lined up. In doing so, they broke the previous pizza line record of 220 meters that was set just three weeks ago in Fort Rustico, Florida.
After the Guinness World Record adjudicator deemed the record broken, the pizzas where donated to the food rescue organisation, OzHarvest, to feed Sydney’s homeless and disadvantaged.
Italian cruise ship company Costa Cruises sponsored the event, donating $10 for every metre of pizza to children’s charity Variety. Including donations, more than $5000 was raised.
