When most people think of Neapolitan pizza, the first to come to mind is the UNESCO-protected wood-fired pies with a raised cornicione (crust). Yet the pizza fritta (fried pizza) is one of the city’s most beloved street foods, and its humble origins make it even more meaningful.
World War II
Due to the devastation and poverty caused by War War II, traditional round pizza became a nearly unattainable luxury. Not only was there a shortage of ingredients, but the fighting destroyed most of the city’s wood-fired ovens. So a feasible, more affordable option was fried pizza. Plus, frying the dough caused it to swell up which made it appear more filling. Pizzaioli would stuff it with inexpensive ingredients, such as usually ricotta, a by-product of mozzarella production, and ciccioli, pork cracklings leftover from lard making. As the dish evolved, fillings got fancier. Today, clientele can take their pick from assorted stuffings, from salami to meatballs to provolone to broccoli, among others.
An illustrious ancestor
A closer look at Neapolitan gastronomy archives, however, reveals that pizza fritta has likely had deeper origins as fried dough has appeared in Neapolitan cuisine over the decades. During the 16th century, poet Giovanni Battista del Tufo spoke of zeppolelle, honey-drizzled crunchy leavened dough delicacies. The savory versions were often made with cod, bluefish, and anchovies as Duke Ippolito Cavalcanti reported in his 1837 treatise on theoretical-practical cuisine.
Eat today, pay in eight days
Fried pizza was also nicknamed a ogge a otto. In the years following the war, cash-strapped Neapolitans purchased the pizza on credit, having eight days to pay it off.
In the post-war years, pizzaioli usually prepared fried pizza at home on their day off to earn some extra cash. Often, the pizzaiolo prepared the dough and his wife fried it and sold it at their front door. The pizzaioli and their families usually lived in the bassi, street-level, low-ceilinged homes.
L’oro di Napoli / The Gold of Naples
Women eventually became the primary fried pizza makers, overseeing the preparation before frying it outside their homes. Vittorio De Sica’s 1954 film L'oro di Napoli (The Gold of Naples) comprises six episodes set in Naples. Sophia Loren, in her breakout role, portrayed a pizza maker cheating on her husband. Her character peddled her product by shouting, “Mangi oggi e paghi fra otto giorni (Eat today and pay in eight days)."