Is it true that Italy has bad tasting pizzas?

Volker Eichener

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Professor at Hochschule Düsseldorf Apr 6

Is it true that Italy has bad tasting pizzas despite being the country where they were invented?

There are several misconceptions in this question.

The first one is “country”. Pizza (in the modern sense) was not “invented” in Italy but it developed in the course of over 2,000 years in Southern Italy. Pizza Margherita was created on 11 June 1889 in Naples by pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito of Pizzeria Brandi for king Umberto I. and his lady Margherita.

In Northern Italy, pizza is not a traditional dish. In, say, Milan or Venice, pizza is a foreign dish like in any other country outside of Italy. And of course you find many pizzas there which are not made in the proper traditional way. And some of them are outright bad - if the dough is not fermented long enough, or if it is burnt or undercooked are if poor toppings are used.

The second misconception is to assume that there is only one type of pizza. There are many types of pizza. The pizza Naples style has a thick fluffy crust and a rather soft bottom under the moist toppings.

In Rome, the pizza is often thin and crispy and eaten like a sandwich.

American pizza has loads of cheese.

There is the Chicago-style deep dish pizza.

And the wiener crust pizza.

And the cheesy crust pizza:

So, which of these types is “good” or “bad”? It is a matter of preference.

Americans, who are used to American pizza, are often disappointed by pizza in Italy because they have different expectations. But the same happens if they order pasta in Italy. I have seen so many Americans in restaurants in Rome who could not believe what they had been served - because pasta is considered a main dish in the U.S. while in Rome pasta is just one course (primo piatto) which is typically followed by a fish or meat course (secondo piatto). So, pasta contains, if at all, miniscule amounts of meat or seafood:

A whole portion of pasta amatriciana in Rome:

While they were expecting this:

So, which one is good and which one is bad? The Americans next table considered the Italian pasta bad (portion too small, tiny amount of bacon).

The Italians would not touch American pasta with meatballs while they appreciate the unique flavour of perfectly seared guanciale in pasta amatriciana.