Memes

Yes.

Just this month I was there and the pizza is a different concept there to be sure.

Street pizzas of thinly sliced zucchini or potato covering bread rounds with olive oil. That’s pizza in Rome.

Focaccia bread like crust with some anchovies and potatoe? Pizza.

Neapolitan style is just a different style again, but the theme is dough is not the delivery agent, it is the primary purpose. The dough is the important bit, with toppings being intended to enhance subtle flavors for it.

Italian pizza is most similar in American expectations of food typically found there, to flatbread dishes. It’s flatbread with some stuff on top to accent it. There is no cheese on most of the pizza I had in the various parts of Italy I was in. Cheese was not an expected component. Healthy or at least flavorful variations on additions to the dough are the goal.

Whether you are in Sardinia, Calabria, or Rome; pizza is pizza dough with local additives.

I have seen French fries on top of pizza in Sardinia, and this was called there “American pizza” :)

I have not been to Italy, but I have made several of the authentic recipes used as reference in “Modernist Pizza”. I know it’s called modernist, but they go back to the roots before rebuilding.

I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys food history and techniques regardless of their desire to cook at home.