Pizza Pie-a: A Guide to Eating Pizza in Rome

When I was a kid, one of the most exciting events in life was when I'd earn enough star stickers on my holographic "Book-It" button to get my very own "personal pan pizza" at Pizza Hut.  The crust was so thick yet crispy, the cheese so gooey, and the sauce was so... saucy.  But best of all, it was mine- I didn't have to share it with anyone.  Not even my parents!  Unfortunately, though, a personal pan pizza just doesn't do it for me anymore.  I'm not sure if Pizza Hut has significantly decreased in quality since the late '80s, or if my tastes have just matured (probably a little of both), but I'm happy to report that I'm regularly able to re-experience this type of pizza excitement here in Rome.

Pizza by the Slice

As you know, Tom and I eat most of our meals here at the Academy, but on the weekends (when there are limited meals here), we usually find ourselves eating pizza at least once.  Often, we end up getting some cheap pizza by the slice while we're out and about, but once in a while, we'll order pizza out at a sit-down restaurant.  The take-away pizza is a bit different in style from the sit-down pizza, so I'll tell you a bit about each of them below.

First, though, a brief pizza history:  Naples is usually credited with the invention of this beloved food, although a lot of other foods (such as focaccia) could be considered forefathers of the pizza.  In the early years, it was generally the poor members of the community who ate pizza, since it was fairly cheap to produce.  However, (likely due to its deliciousness) pizza making and eating quickly began to spread through the classes, through Italy, and now throughout the world.  Even though pizza is considered a quintessential Italian food, there are still regional differences in the styles of pizzas (which sometimes inspire heated debates about which is the best).  As I mentioned before, Rome is popular for two different types, so let me tell you a bit about each of them.

Suppli

The first type is pizza by the slice, or "pizza al taglio." Getting pizza by the slice is a very popular lunch (or even dinner) option here in Rome, and it's probably my favorite of the two styles.  In any given neighborhood, there are literally dozens of little places serving up pizza and other treats (such as pastries or suppli, which are friend cheese and rice balls) from behind a counter.  Generally, they are standing room only and you take your pizza to go, but every once in a while you'll find a place with a few seats.  Figuring out which places are the best is usually easy;  If there's a long line and most of the people in it are speaking Italian, it's pretty much guaranteed to be tasty.

Pizza by the slice has a little bit thicker crust (maybe 1-2 cm) and can be topped with a variety of ingredients.  One thing that Americans will have to get over right away, though, is that it's not a guarantee that any particular pizza will have both sauce and cheese.  While most pizzas will have one ore the other, neither is really a requirement for pizza here.  One pizza might have just sauce and mushrooms, for example, while another might be peppers and cheese without any sauce.  In my opinion, the worst of all is the pizza with just crust and red sauce but some weirdos (including my husband) claim that this is "good" because you're able to appreciate the simplicity of the flavors.  Sounds like crazy talk if you ask me, though.

Rascioli Pizza

The label "pizza by the slice," might be a bit misleading, however, because you don't buy a piece of a pre-sliced pie like you would in the US.  Instead, the Italians have a much better system that allows you to select exactly how much you want of each kind of pizza.  Basically, the pizzas are all rectangular shaped and not pre-cut in any way.  If you ask for a piece of a certain kind, the server will show you where he/she plans to cut it for you (with a scissors), and then you can say "piu" (more) or "meno" (less) until they have just the right amount.  This also allows you to try more flavors than you might otherwise, which is great for indecisive people such as myself.  Once you have made all of your selections, they weight it, tell you how much you owe (it's by the kilogram and usually pretty cheap), heat it up for you, throw it in a box, and then you're on your way!

So far, one of my personal favorites is a pizza with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil from Roscioli (which just also happens to be the shop from which the Academy buys its bread).  There is also a shop near the Academy that sells (in addition to more standard pizzas) really good dessert pizza, like Nutella and banana or apple and cinnamon.  Really, though, I have had too many good ones to recount- and, surprisingly, most of the pizzas are vegetarian, so I get a lot of good variety.  We also still need to get out to a place called "Pizzarium," near the Vatican, which supposedly has some of the best pizza in town.

Pizza with "Rocket Salad"

The other style of pizza in Rome is what you'll find if you order at a sit-down restaurant.  This pizza is round with a thin crust, and is cooked in a wood-fired oven. These pizzas are either designed to be shared as an appetizer or consumed by a single person as a main meal (at least that's what I tell myself when I chow down a whole pizza...).  They have similar ingredients as the pizza by the slice pizzas, but often they also come with some arugula on top (apparently, arugula is called "rocket salad" in Britain, and so English menus often list it this way, which I find kind of hilarious).  A few years ago I would have found this strange, but since arugula-topped pizza is all the rage in San Francisco (and possibly Minneapolis now, too), it now seems very normal to me.

Other than the arugula, many of the toppings are similar to those you could order from a Pizza Hut (although MUCH better quality, obviously), but you'll also find more creative/interesting options such as "pear and gorgonzola" or "potato and rosemary," too.  I really do love the flaky, crispy crust on these pizzas, but since you can only pick one flavor and can't see what you are getting before you order, it's not my most favorite style of pizza in the city.  Of course, if you think you know a Rome pizzeria that will change my mind, feel free to let me know!

Okay, well, all this writing about pizza has got my hungry, so I'm off to the kitchen for an (almost) midnight snack.

Alla Prossima,
Erin

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Sat. Dec. 8:  It's cold.  Really, really cold.  Currently it's 36 degrees (although it's been warming up to around 45 during the day), and I have begun wearing a winter hat and gloves whenever I go outside.  Hopefully this weather will prepare me for Christmas in Minnesota, though!