What Makes a Pizza Neapolitan, and Where to Find One in Larnaca
A short answer to a question that sounds simple and is not.
You are allowed to ask what the word means
Neapolitan sits on a lot of menus. Most people have never been told what it is supposed to mean, and there is no reason they should have been. Asking is not a gap in your education. It is a fair question about a word that gets used loosely.
Nothing on this page is required reading. If you skip it and simply order a pizza, you lose nothing at all. The rules exist for the person making the pizza, not for the person eating it.
Neapolitan is a written standard, not a mood
There is an actual text. In 2010 the European Union registered Pizza Napoletana as a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed, in Commission Regulation (EU) No 97/2010, published in the Official Journal of the European Union. It names the flour, the water, the salt, the yeast, the shape of the finished pizza and how it is baked. The document is public and you can read it on eur-lex.europa.eu.
In Naples, the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana keeps a specification of its own, published on avpn.it. In 2017 UNESCO added the art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo to its list of intangible cultural heritage, listed on ich.unesco.org. That listing is about the craft and the people who carry it, not about any single restaurant.
Soft in the middle, blistered at the rim
The TSG text describes a pizza no more than about 35 centimetres across, with a raised rim and a centre soft enough to fold. It bakes for a few minutes in a very hot oven, and the heat does most of the work. Dark spots on the rim come from that heat.
If you were expecting a base that snaps, this will surprise you. The damp centre is not a mistake and not an unfinished pizza. Fold it, or use a knife. Both are normal.
What we do, said plainly
Our dough starts as a biga and ferments for 48 hours at 77 percent hydration. The tomatoes are San Marzano. The mozzarella is fior di latte. Both come from Italy. Daniele, who makes the pizza, was born in Naples in 1989.
Our oven is copper, gas fired, and runs at 400 degrees. The written standards describe a wood oven, so we tell you what ours is rather than let you assume. The 48 hours are a choice. They save nobody a minute.
Come and see whether you like it
We are at 1 Aristotelous in Larnaca, open Tuesday to Sunday, 18:00 to 22:00, closed on Monday. There is a natural wine list and it changes, so ask what is open once you sit down. Nothing has to be decided before you arrive.
Questions people bring to the table
Q.Is Neapolitan pizza thin or thick?
Thin in the middle, thicker at the rim. The centre stays soft enough to fold and the edge puffs up in the heat.
Q.Why is the middle of my pizza wet?
A short bake at high heat leaves the centre soft rather than crisp. That is how the style works, not a fault.
Q.Does the oven have to burn wood?
The written standards describe a wood oven. Ours is copper, gas fired, and runs at 400 degrees, and we would rather say so.
Q.Where can I eat one in Larnaca?
At 1 Aristotelous. We are open Tuesday to Sunday from 18:00 to 22:00 and closed on Monday.
Q.Do I need to know anything about the wine?
No. The natural wine list changes, so ask what is open on the evening you visit and take it from there.