On a baking day scorched by the terrifying south Italian sun, a delegation of international tourists has converged a stone’s throw from Naples’ San Gennaro catacombs, so-called because of the city’s patron saint.
But these tourists aren’t in town to honour the long-ago martyr; they’ve arrived in the service of something else just as significant to the city’s pride. They come from Belgium, France, Japan, South Korea, Canada and Brazil, and they’re all potential pizzaioli (old-school Italian pizza makers), and they are about to undergo the ultimate pizzad test.
The trainees are at the headquarters of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (the “True Neapolitan Pizza Association”, or AVPN for short). It was set up in 1984 and is an organisation dedicated to “promoting and defending” a fastidious idea of the city’s most renowned culinary wonder, and was responsible for inscribing “the art” of Neapolitan pizza-making as a Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity several years ago.
From its modest beginnings as a Neapolitan street food toward the end of the 1800s, pizza has evolved to become the world’s most popular, omnipresent dish. While there are two classic Neapolitan pizzas (the Margherita, topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella and fresh basil;
and the marinara, which replaces basil with oregano and garlic and does not include cheese) countless modern varieties have emerged globally in recent decades – from slices adorned with blue cheese and honey to the lemon peel-topped creamy Crisommola del Vesuvio by chef Franco Pepe.
But whereas there are strict measures to qualify “genuine” Champagne or Parmigiano cheese, this collection of food guardians has embarked on ensuring that the tasty meal remains authentic to its Neapolitan origin – at least if you’re going to label it as “real” pizza.
“There is a huge link between this type of food and the soul of Naples,” states Massimo Di Porzio, AVPN vice president, who is speckled with flour in his company profile photo.
With its school of training, competitions, trade fairs and a giant bronze pizza statue glinting just beyond the entrance to its headquarters, the AVPN has become an empire of pizza authenticity. Its long rules stipulate that every certified pie needs to have a “roundish seasoned disc” with a puffy, high-border crust (cornicione) not more than 1-2cm high.
No “big bubbles” or “burnt spots” are allowed. Pizzas need to be “soft”, “elastic”, and foldable. Pizza-makers are not allowed to use a rolling pin or oven tray. Leaving a pizza cooking for more than 90 seconds is sacrilegious. And the finished product needs to be eaten within 10 minutes of coming out of the oven.
