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!