Pizza It is an Argentine classic that has many ways of being made. And, in recent years, more and more restaurants are specializing in a certain type of product. Neapolitan, Roman, American, grilled or signature, any option has a place in the City that specializes and offers the best options for fans of this marvel of gastronomy. But what distinguishes the different styles and where to find them?
Neapolitan style
She was born in the early 1700s in Naples and is claimed to be the first in the world. Its thin and tender dough, with the iconic aerated edge or cornicione, and its lower proportion of cheese (compared to porteñas) tempts those who prefer a light and balanced product. Due to their consistency and humidity, they usually have a medium or small size to facilitate their consumption.
In Francesca del Fuego (Av. Infanta Isabel 220, Palermo) make a version that respects the original recipe, adding personal touches from chef Ignacio Parodi, especially in the selection of toppings. They are prepared with sourdough, fermented for 48 hours in the cold and cooked in a clay oven with quebracho wood and eucalyptus. In this way they obtain a delicate and tasty product, with a soft and barely crunchy dough. The house recommends the Stracciatella (with biodynamic tomato sauce infused with basil and garlic, stracciatella, cashews and basil), the Rose of the Winds (white pizza with mozzarella, parmesan, reggio, English cheddar and black pepper) and the Vegan Red (tomato sauce , babaganoush, cherry tomatoes, black olives, capers and basil).
roman pizza
It could be said that it is a more recent style since it was born in the mid-1900s, but it quickly became an Italian classic. You need strong flour, high hydration and a slow and extensive fermentation. Unlike its Napoletan sister, its texture is very crisp and has no edges, leaving more surface area for the ingredients that cover it.
Sew my Piace (El Salvador 4618, Palermo) was one of the first to offer Roman pizzas based on Divella Italian flour and natural fermentation, which are stretched with a rolling pin and cooked for just one minute at 400° in a wood-fired oven. brought from Naples. According to its owner, Natalia Czerwonogora, with this they achieve a thin, toasted, crispy dough without edges that allows you to appreciate all the flavors that make it up in each bite. The most requested are the Diávola (pomodoro, fior di latte, spicy Neapolitan longaniza salami and fresh oregano) and the Funghi (fior di latte, raw and roasted portobellos, parsley and confit garlic). Another good exponent is Il Giardino Romagnoli (Carlos Pellegrini 1576, Recova de Posadas), whose menu strolls through Italian classics and delights with sourdough pizzas in bianca or rossa versions. To make them they use imported and local raw materials that shine in varieties such as the Capricciosa (Italian tomato sauce, mozzarella, prosciutto cotto, artichokes, mushrooms and egg) and the Aphrodisiac (mozzarella, mushrooms, capers, truffle oil and smoked bacon) .
new york style
A brainchild of Italian immigrants who settled in New York at the beginning of the 20th century. It is a large, very thin pizza with a flexible dough – due to the large amount of gluten – that allows it to be folded without breaking. The most popular version has a lot of tomato sauce (spicier than the one we usually consume) and a good amount of mozzarella. It is usual to find it by the slice on the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The pioneer brand in our country was Hell’s Pizza (Humboldt 1654, Palermo, and more branches) by the hand of the famous master pizza chef Danilo Ferraz. It proposes an iconic product that is served in portions, halves or whole with a 45 cm diameter. Its dough is thin and flexible, but with a crispy base that makes it even more tempting. It has semolina, little yeast and a cold fermentation of at least 24 hours to make it light and easily digestible. It is then cooked in special ovens with low ceilings and stone vaults to achieve the distinctive texture. The ones most suggested by Ferraz are the Obama (house sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni), the Hell’s (mozzarella, peppers, pepperoni in spicy syrup, lemon cream and dill) and the Giuliani (pomodoro, buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil) .
Grilled
A result of Argentine ingenuity that combines the inherited pizza custom with our passion for roasting. It is likely that the idea has arisen in homes as a practical and unusual alternative. That is why there is no single formula, but some characteristics provided by cooking on the grill are repeated, such as a toasted and crispy base plus a subtly smoked hint.
The aforementioned Daniel Ferraz was the one who marketed this product for the first time in his old premises in 1893. Today, he does the same in the Mil y Pico Pizzeria (Av. Dorrego 1194, Chacarita, and Av. de Los Incas 5499, Parque Chas), but taking it to another level through a healthier dough (little yeast and cold aging) on which cheeses, cured meats, sauces and vegetables from small producers. The key is in the crispness that is achieved by stretching the base with a rolling pin and cooking it over direct heat, without a lid. Another important point is the subtlety in the toppings that offer very balanced flavors. Try the Caprese from Naples (Italian pomodoro, fior di latte, tomatoes and fresh basil), the Calabria (Italian pomodoro, mozzarella, nduja, roasted bell peppers and ricotta) and the suggestion of the day that is prepared with the best products of the season.
An author option
The variety of recipes and techniques can inspire the most creative chefs to create their own versions that combine tradition and innovation. As in almost everything within gastronomy, this is how unique products arise in their style.
In The Pizza OTL (Av Caseros 424, San Telmo), David Gdansky cooks individual pizzas on the stone with a light dough, crispy edges and toppings inspired by haute cuisine. “Our added value and maximum differential is to think of them as dishes,” says the chef. To make them, he uses organic flours, sourdough, agro-ecological vegetables, 100% handmade sauces and exotic preparations. For example, the Tres Formaggi (grape must, blue cheese three milks, fior di latte and parmesan), the Pepperoni (Italian tomato, fior di latte, honey sweet chili and pepperoni) and the Funghi Forest (crottin cheese, portobellos, mushrooms, purple onion, arugula pesto and preserved lemons). They also have pizzas topped with homemade salads and pastas.
by RN
