Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba
| Part of a series on |
| Pizza |
|---|
 |
History
First established in 1738 as a stand for peddlers, Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba was opened in 1830 in the town center at Via Port'Alba 18. The restaurant replaced street vendors who would make pizza in wood-fired ovens and bring it onto the street, keeping it warm in small tin stoves they balanced on their head. It soon became a prominent meeting place for men in the street. Most patrons were artists, students, or others with very little money, so the pizzas made were generally simple, with toppings such as oil and garlic. A payment system, called pizza a otto, was developed that allowed customers to pay up to eight days after their meal. A resulting local joke was that a meal from Port'Alba might be someone's last free meal, if they died before they paid. Additionally, patrons created poetry to honor the pizzas. Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba is still in business today, located between a number of bookstores. It is widely believed to be the world's first pizzeria.
Food
Since its creation in 1830, the eatery's ovens have been lined with lava rocks from nearby Mount Vesuvius. At the time of its creation, one popular pizza was the Mastunicola, topped with lard, sheep milk cheese, and basil. Basil and oregano were the most common herbs, while other toppings included seafood, buffalo mozzarella, cured meats, and cecinielli, small white fish still in development.
See also
References
- ^ Hughes, Holly (8 April 2009). Frommer's 500 Places for Food and Wine Lovers - Holly Hughes. Wiley. p. 36. ISBN 9780470480649. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
- ^ "Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba". MYTravelGuide. Archived from the original on 10 April 2010. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
- ^ Hoekstra, Dave (July 27, 2008). "World's best pizza". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on November 25, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ^ Josten, Randy (June 2000). "Matters of taste: Pizzas with pizzazz". The Rotarian. 176 (6). Rotary International: 16–17. ISBN 9781580080859. ISSN 0035-838X. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ^ Johns, Pamela Sheldon (1999). Pizza Napoletana!. Artisanal Foods Series. Ten Speed Press. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-58008-085-9. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ^ "Neapolitan Pizza". Antica Pizzeria. 1998. Archived from the original on 28 April 2010. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
- ^ Hoffman, Augie (November 7, 2008). "Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba Pizza Naples Italy". WorstPizza.com. The Pizza Experts LLC. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
- ^ Sampson, Susan (November 7, 2007). "Flipping for pizza". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ^ Harte, Tom (October 22, 2003). "Popularity of pizza". Southeast Missourian. Retrieved April 16, 2010.