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What makes a good pizza?
from: Roopa NIshiWhat makes a good pizza?
The word pizza is
believed to have its origins in an old Italian word meaning 'a point'.
Which, in turn, became the Italian word 'pizziare', which means 'to
pinch' or 'pluck'.
The first time the word seems to show up anywhere is in a Neapolitan dialect word -- picea or piza -- circa 1000 BC referring, perhaps, to the manner in which the hot pie was plucked from the oven.
Pizza is probably the most globally recognised food today. Today, it is also America's favourite food.
Originally
a food for the poor, it is now a dish for everyone. It is truly the
result of a transformation developed over the centuries.
Its
shape is not limited to the flat round type. There are deep dish
pizzas, stuffed pizzas, pizza pockets, pizza turnovers, rolled pizza --
all with combinations of sauce, cheese and toppings limited only by
your inventiveness.
But
the best pizza still comes from the individual pizzaiolo, the pizza
baker, who prepares his yeast dough and ingredients daily and heats his
oven for hours before baking the first pizza.
Of
course, the American pizza and the Italian pizza are two different
things. The Italians first took the pizza to the States. And, like any
other dish, evolved to suit its new environment and palate.
A good pizza is actually a very simple dish made with fresh ingredients. It makes for a very healthy, satisfying meal.
Pizza
is also easy to make at home. It doesn't have the same taste as a pizza
baked in a wood-burning brick oven, but it is good.
The wonderful thing about pizza is that you can invent your own. Just keep the basics in mind and you are set.
The main ingredients
~ Tomatoes
One of the most important ingredients for pizza is the tomato-based sauce.
Italians
love tomatoes. And they were used as a topping by Raffaele Esposito,
the Italian baker who is credited with being the first to create the
modern pizza.
Why they are good: Tomatoes have such wonderful properties that it would be really difficult to do without them.
They are known to be rich in lycopene which is known to have a protective effect on the heart and prevents cancers.
They
help reduce high blood pressure, provide relief from diarrhoea, eye
irritation and rejuvenate the skin. They also help restore liver health
and prevent persistent fatigue.
~ Mozzarella cheese
A
pizza is not a pizza without a large handful of grated cheese topped
and melted on it. The cheese of choice is mozzarella, a stringy, and
sometimes gooey, white cheese.
Mozzarella has mild, but enjoyable, taste.
When you top the pizza: Make sure to grate, and not slice, the cheese.
This allows for more even cooking and better distribution.
Take care not to overcook the cheese so that when you serve pizza, the mozzarella has a soft elastic consistency.
If the cheese is brown and feels crispy, you could lose some of the taste and texture that make a pizza so enjoyable.
Some other Italian cheeses that you can use are:
- Asiago
- Parmesan
- Provalone
- Ricotta
- Romano
Other cheeses gaining popularity as pizza topping include:
- American
- Cheddar
- Colby
- Feta
- Monterey Jack
- Swiss
Today,
it is acceptable to use a mixture of different cheeses. But beware.
They lose much of their distinctness when cooked together.
Calorie rich!
Though
rich in calories, cheese adds to the saturated fat content of the pizza
that makes it tastier and contributes towards the protein and calcium
content.
1. Use wholewheat flour, bran flour or soya flour to make the dough.
2. You can use regular slices of wholewheat bread or bran bread instead of the regular pizza base.
3.
Soya nuggets, like nutrella, can be used as toppings instead of pieces
of meat. Soya nuggets are also a good source of protein and iron.
4. Use low fat cheese, grated tofu or homemade cottage cheese as toppings.
5. Use green leafy vegetables like spinach in the tomato sauce.
6. You could opt for healthy options like cabbage, broccoli, brinjal and capsicum.
When eating pizza outside
1. Avoid having colas and alcoholic beverages with your pizza. They add to the caloric intake.
Opt for a plain soda. This gives you that fizz you need.
The best option is to have a glass of fresh lemonade water that enables the digestion of protein.
2. Avoid cheese-filled pizza bases -- they are rich in calories and add to the saturated fat content of the diet.
3. Avoid
pizzas with different meat combinations. Stick to only one kind of meat
option. Else, your system will find it hard to digest it.
4. A thin and crisp pizza topped with vegetables is a good choice.
5. Avoid French fries as a side order. Choose a low calorie salad, maybe a tossed salad.
6. Have pizza at lunchtime or as an early evening snack.
When you have pizza during the day or as an evening snack, go very light on dinner.
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