Benvenuto!
Travel is a never ending leisure. When we travel,
we take along with us the nostalgic memories of all
the beautiful places we have visited along with the
aroma and flavor of local cuisine. The pizza is one
such that has become the favorite food of every food
lover.
 Queen
Margherita, in 1889, had accompanied her husband on
an inspection of his Kingdom. She noticed that the peasants
ate a kind of flat bread they called ‘Pizza.’
Curious as she was, asked her guards to bring her a
piece of this flat bread. She was completely bowled
over by the taste. So, Raffaele Esposito, the chef was
asked to make one for the Queen. In order to honor her,
he baked a special pizza with toppings of tomato, basil
and mozzarella cheese (colors on the flag) that became
an instant hit. Today, the pizza is a favorite food
of not only Italy but all over the world.
In this edition, learn how to make a pizza at home,
about a special herb that imparts its flavor to the
pizza, more about the best wine that goes with it and
about the best Pizzeria in Florence.
The tastemaker of Pizza - Oregano
Oregano is a special herb that is used widely in Italian
cuisine. The Italian pizza, especially Pizza Margherita
gets its flavor from this herb when it is coupled with
basil. We can almost say that Italian culinary is incomplete
without this wonder herb. The leaves of the herb are
usually used in cooking, and the dried version is known
to impart more flavor than the fresh ones. There are
different species of the herb and each has a distinct
flavor. The flavor of the leaves are greatly affected
by the changes in the climatic and seasonal changes.
Oregano makes a good combination with pickled lovage
leaves, capers and olives. Oregano is often used to
enhance the spicy flavor of foods. If the quality of
oregano used is good, they impart a slightly bitter
and aromatic taste, and makes our tongue numb with its
intense flavor.
Oregano, also known as Pot Marjoram belongs to the
species Origanum that is native to Europe, central and
southern Asia, and the Mediterranean. A perennial herb,
it grows up to about 20-80 cm in height. The leaves
are placed oppositely and are 1-4 cm long. The purple
flowers are 3-4 cm long and are produced in erect spikes.
In the dried form, oregano bears resemblance to marijuana.
Health Benefits
Oregano is highly antioxidant due to the presence of
phenolic acids and flavonoids in large amounts. Oregano
has antimicrobial functions too. They act against pathogens
that are food-borne. These characteristics help oregano
to play an important role in food preservation and health.
The Best Wine to Accompany your Pizza is Galestro
Galestro is a popular white wine that is typical of
Tuscany. Galestro is a dry, light and crisp wine and
has about 11% alcohol. It can be identified with its
fruity aroma coupled with the scents of fresh flowers
and also white fruits. The white wine has a fresh taste,
is light and is well balanced with slight bitter sensations.
It has a beautiful light straw yellow color.
The Galestro was founded in the 1970s by a consortium
of Chianti producers. Galestro is made from a combination
of grapes like the Tuscan Trebbiano (70-80%), Canaiolo
white, Malvasia del Chianti and the Vermentino, forming
the rest of 20-25%. These are usually grown in areas
like Arezzo, Siena and Florence.
The vintage available today from Antinori contains
about 85% of Trebbiano and 15% of Pinot blanc. Over
eight million bottles of the super white wine Galestro
is sold every year in accordance to the large quantities
of malvasia and trebbiano grape varieties grown in Tuscany
and no minimum period of ageing is required. Galestro
is a complete meal wine, a fish appetizer and an aperitif.
Relax a warm afternoon with a sip of galestro, a pizza
or a simple pasta, grilled seafood or even a ‘frutta
fresca di stagione.’
Have you Visited the Il Pizzaiuolo?
Via De macci, 113/r
Phone - 055-241-171
 If
you love the pizza, then you must not miss a visit to
the Il Pizzaiuolo, the best pizzeria in Florence! This
is also the only pizza parlor in the whole of Florence
that is run by a Neapolitan. So, it would be an entirely
interesting experience to eat the Napoli style pizza
at the Il Pizzaiuolo.
Il Pizzaiuolo is located round the corner of Via Pietrapiana
near Santa Croce. The atmosphere is pleasant with lots
of noise and young people around. The staff is friendly
and the services perfect. It is always better to reserve
in advance or you might end up standing in a long queue
before you could savor the pizza – Napoli style!
The pizzas are just the way they have to be with thin
crusts and lots of flavor choices. They can be saved
for the main course preceded by an antipasto. Indulge
in the classic pizza Margherita or a pizza diavola topped
with olives and hot salami. Your can also select your
favorite wine from the wine rack that is just next to
the oven.
The restaurant is open Monday to Saturday from 12.30
pm to 3.00 pm and 7.30 pm till midnight. The restaurant
is closed on Sundays and the month of August. Credit
Cards are not accepted.
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