For the Neapolitan pizza, by now consecrated by UNESCO as an intangible heritage of humanity, new spaces open up all over the world. Not that it needed to, to tell the truth, since the word pizza has long been that of the most universally known food on the 5 continents with staggering figures. The problem now is to force everyone, in the face of the multiplication of pizzerias that indulge in reckless improvisations, to strictly adhere to its identity and respect for tradition, safeguarding a flagship product of an all-Italian food and wine heritage that sinks its origins over the centuries. If there are those who thought, as happened, a real sacrilege, of garnishing that magic circle with slices of pineapple, or those who, unfortunately this also happened, of putting maraschino cherries in it to give a touch of originality, not to mention of those who covered it with gold leaves and topped with caviar for the modest price of 3.000 dollars, feel free to do so, but don't dare call it Pizza Napoletana.
An important initiative by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) which has been involved in the protection and promotion of true Neapolitan pizza in Italy and in the rest of the world for over 30 years, starts from these premises. 21 days will literally go around the world to promote the culture of true Neapolitan pizza at all latitudes.
It begins in Melbourne, Australia, on the banks of the Yarra River, with the third edition of the Pizza Festival, an event organized by AVPN in collaboration with Gradi and Crown as part of the Food and Wine Festival, one of the most important food and wine events on the continent. Here 30 pizza chefs from the AVPN affiliated pizzerias of Australia and New Zealand will take action together with the vice president of the association Massimo Di Porzio and the master pizza chefs Salvatore Santucci and Cristiano De Rinaldi. There will also be gastronomic workshops, tastings and more coordinated by Johnny Di Francesco and Lucio De Falco, respectively president and vice president of the Australian section of AVPN. New for 2018 is the "Make your own pizza" initiative, thanks to which the public led by Neapolitan pizza makers will be able to make and then enjoy their own pizza.
From Australia we fly to the States where AVPN will be present in grand style for the tenth consecutive year at the Pizza Expo in Las Vegas which has now become one of the unmissable appointments of the Pizza World: over 40 square meters of stand inside which various greedy meetings under the guidance of Peppe Miele president of VPN Americas and Paolo Surace manager of AVPN pizzerias. Also scheduled are technical seminars dedicated to Stars and Stripes sector operators.
On March 26 it will be the turn of Japan. In Osaka, after last year's official inauguration of the teaching room dedicated to AVPN inside the Jogakun school, the first official master of Neapolitan pizza will kick off. The course, which has already been sold out for a month, will be carried out by maestro Marco Leone who, together with the general director Stefano Oricchio, will guide 10 students in the educational path already tested by the Naples school. Specific insights into the program on topics such as leavening at room temperature and the right handling of the dough in line with the art of the Neapolitan pizza maker.
Finally, on the 4th and 5th, Paris will be invaded by the colors and scents of the most loved Italian product in the world. In fact, the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition center will host "Panizza", the most important trade fair in France. AVPN will be present as a partner of Molini Bongiovanni, an approved supplier for the specification of true Neapolitan pizza and active alongside the association in the dissemination of its values.
"After the programming that has seen us engaged in the forefront of the art of the Neapolitan pizza maker in the intangible heritage of humanity by Unesco - declares Antonio Pace president of AVPN - it is essential to continue the work of enhancing the true Neapolitan pizza, aim that our association has been pursuing since its inception and which indeed represents the reason for its Constitution. Pizza has long been a global product and there are several variations of it present in Italy in the world, but it is of primary importance to defend and make known its original and incomparable style, the Neapolitan one that has its roots in history, son of inspiration and the generosity of the Neapolitan people. If on the one hand we therefore protect the traditions of the culture of this extraordinary product through an international specification that explains the essential rules from the dough to the cooking, on the other we ensure that everyone can benefit from it with training and awareness-raising activities, inside and outside the national borders. Evidence of this are the 713 pizzerias affiliated to our Association spread across four continents Europe, Asia, the Americas and Oceania and the 460 national and foreign pizza makers registered in the register.”
It has been said that staggering numbers. It's not an exaggeration. In Italy there are 183 pizzerias that employ around 564.000 people and if we consider related industries (room cleaners, suppliers of various types, etc.) they are close to one million. In terms of number of venues, the first in the standings is the Province of Rome with over 15.500 pizzerias. Milan follows with almost 9250, and unexpectedly, third on the podium, Naples with almost 8200.
But the surprises don't end here Because if the master pizza chefs churn out almost 8 million pieces every day in Italy, i.e. about 192 million pizzas a month or 2,3 billion pizzas a year for a turnover of 12 billion euros in reality we are not the biggest pizza eaters in the world. And yes, because in Italy we eat 7,6 kilos of pizza each year. But the Americans beat us by far, they consume 13 kilos each. And it is no coincidence that a US pizza delivery company has gone public.
