Vegan Pizza: Going Back to Neapolitan Roots
Vegan pizza (no meat, no cheese)
might seem to many like another strange and unwelcome perversion of a classic
favorite food. But the reality is actually the opposite.
The original pizza, the one upon
which all other pizzas are based, originated in Naples in Southern Italy and is
known as the Marinara pizza. That original, first pizza was actually made
without cheese.
It is not a vegan pizza that is the
"perversion". Vegan pizza is
actually original! The first pizza was made in Naples and is called a Neapolitan
Pizza. There are two types of Neapolitan pizzas now officially sanctioned by
the European Union (yes, it's that official!). The more familiar Margherita was
first made for Queen Margherita of Savoy in 1889, to represent the
three-colored Italian flag, and therefore included mozzarella cheese. But the
original one, the purest and the best according to many pizza enthusiasts, is
the Marinara: crushed tomato sauce, oregano, sliced garlic, and olive oil, on a
yeast-leavened flatbread base, cooked in a wood-fired oven for 60 to 90
seconds.
Why is such a traditional food vegan,
you might ask? Well, the fact is that daily meat-eating (and three times a day
at that) is a very recent phenomenon in the broad span of human history. Also,
the standard "four food groups" (which has a strong bias toward the
meat and dairy industry, while downplaying the complex array of fruits, grains,
vegetables, legumes, roots, nuts, and seeds, etc.) was not yet invented by the
USDA food industry lobbyists. While "veganism" may be new vegan
dishes have been around for a long time, as a regular part of people's diets.
Indeed, you will find a lot of much-loved traditional foods from around the
world that are actually authentically vegan, just like the Marinara vegan pizza.
If you haven't yet enjoyed a real,
Marinara vegan pizza, you must. The surest way is to go to Italy, where they
are commonly available. Alternatively, your town or city may have an authentic
Italian pizzeria which serves real Marinara pizza. Another way is to learn to
make it yourself using the authentic ingredients (which many restaurants may
not use themselves). It is easy enough to learn to make a Marinara pizza, but
it is the ingredients and method that matter. There is a special flour needed
(not widely available in North America), and using the right cooking tools,
such as a wood-fired oven or a substitute, is crucial.
You can learn more about the vegan
pizza https://zestypizza.com.au/ and get authentic
ingredients and tools at the online Vegan Pizza Place. Happy eating!
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