How to eat pizza according to etiquette. How to eat pizza, or table etiquette for lovers of Italian food

Luigi Rossi

Chef

The appearance of "Margarita"

Uninformed people claim that pizza was invented like this: they took everything that was left from yesterday from the refrigerator, threw it on the dough - and into the oven. Nothing like that: pizza was created for convenience. Italian peasants often worked far from home, left in the morning, remained in the field until evening, and sometimes were absent for several days. They took food with them that did not spoil for a long time. And so the wives came up with the idea of ​​preparing a kind of pie for their husbands: the dough, stuffing on it, was covered with dough on top. The pizza turned out a la calzone, closed. And only later, when the Italians tasted the tomatoes and began to put them on pizza, did it take on the form we are used to.

The name of the first pizza is unknown, but there is one legend. Initially, only peasants ate pizza. Later, she fell in love with the nobility, and King Umberto and his wife also loved her. The first pizza, Margherita, was named after her. In general, "Margherita" is the most Italian of all pizzas: with correct presentation it looks almost like the Italian flag - green basil, white mozzarella and red tomatoes.

What kind of pizza is

Recently, pizzerias in Naples decided to make a patent for pizza. Naturally, they were refused, because pizza is the property of all Italy. Proper pizza done on thin dough with a border around. If the chef makes the dough thicker, it's not scary, it's his style. But you definitely need a border, and it can only be done by hand, no tricks have yet been invented for this.

And the calzone that started it all, italian pie, which is considered a closed form of pizza and is cooked in the form of a crescent. This pizza is most common in the central and southern regions of Italy. In contrast of regular pizza- in the filling, more precisely, in the fact that it is inside.

And then there is pinza, which is an old Roman bread that is seasoned on top like focaccia. It is always oval and without a border.

They say that properly cooked pizza is only in ... a wood-fired oven. The fact is that when it appeared, then any stove or stove in the house was heated with firewood. So pizza was “born” in a wood-fired oven. But now there are good electrical and gas ovens, in which you can cook superpizza - and it will be no worse than from the oven.

Pizza is folk dish, as a person wants, so he eats it, this is his desire. Bottles of oil are served to her only in Russia. This is unconventional for pizza. When it is on your table, it is already in the form in which it is needed. Perhaps the only good addition to it can be wine. Or beer is Italian. It is not forbidden to ask for an additional ingredient that you like, but this must be done at the time of ordering.

"Plain"

Some pieces have a strong enough edge to support the weight of the cheese and sauce. Such slices do not need to be folded: they are beautiful in their crispy aggressiveness. This method will not work with chunks burdened with heavy toppings or with a more delicate base.

"Fiasco"

Speaking of thinner slices, if you take a piece without bending in the middle, the tip can bend and fall off. In this scenario, hold the slice above your face and make sure that the tip falls straight into your mouth. Please note that the probability of "Fiasco" increases in direct proportion to the amount of alcohol consumed.

"Plains" did not work - there was a "Fiasco"

"Half"

Folding a pizza in half with the filling inside is blasphemy. Do you think it's a sandwich? Do you want to punish yourself for something? Do you like pizza at all? Please don't ever do that.

Pepperoni in place? You'll never know, you folded the slice in half

"Master"

Here's how to treat a slice: without infringing on either your dignity or the dignity of the pizza. Pinch the piece between your thumb and middle finger underneath and your index finger at the top and make a slight kink in the crust to form a triangle. This will protect your slice from "Fiasco" and you from dripping fat, and will also allow you to maintain eye contact with the stuffing.

"Taco"

It's hard to argue with the fact that any crust tastes better with sauce and cheese. Therefore, when you finish your piece, slow down, approaching the crust. Do not swallow everything at once, leave a thin strip of cheese. Then roll it all in and enjoy, so you don't have to choke on the dry dough.

Sign of a true professional

"Wallet"

There is an opinion that magnificent Neapolitan pizza it is impossible to eat calmly without treacherously dripping cheese and deep longing for this. Forget! Wrap the tip to the center and squeeze the edges - you get a wallet. This technique is great for very sluggish flexible slices.

Recently, I went to a pizzeria with a friend where we had an argument, how to eat pizza? The fact is that I eat pizza with my hands, and he exclusively with a fork, which was the cause of the dispute.
It was somehow inconvenient to ask in the institution itself, and even looking at the visitors who ate the Italian delicacy 50/50 in both ways, it was difficult to determine who was right.
Therefore, I decided as befits the generation of the 21st century) to study the expanses of Runet and get to the bottom of the truth.

Let's dive into history first.

Pizza (or rather its likeness) was invented more than 10 centuries ago. It was an ordinary rough cake of bread (made from the cheapest flour) on which the leftovers of food from a day (or several days) were piled on top and baked. Initially, only the poor prepared this analogue of modern pizza (it is understood, they did not collect rich food leftovers). Later, when they began to prepare a special cake for pizza (from high-grade flour) and a filling (not from leftovers), this dish was tasted by wealthy segments of the population. In the form in which we know it now, it appeared only at the end of the 19th century, and gained worldwide popularity in the second half of the 20th century.

As such, there are no strict rules on how to properly eat pizza according to etiquette. Why ask you?! Pizza, in theory, is not a dish to be served in places requiring etiquette ... It is a kind of fast food. But fast food and etiquette, you know, are practically antonyms .. Since the first was invented by the poor for the poor, the second is exactly the opposite.
At home, you can eat it as you like, but in decent places, the same pizzerias (and similar establishments) you still need follow the basic rules.

• 1 - It is advisable to eat pizza the way most of those around you eat.
• 2 - Pizza that is not served large piece eat with hands.
• 3 - Pizza, which is served in a large piece, is first cut into small pieces with a knife and fork, then they are eaten with their hands.

• If the bottom of the pizza is greasy, it is pre-blotted with a napkin.

There is nothing wrong with eating pizza with a fork and knife either. Therefore, in institutions specializing in this dish, you will definitely be served cutlery, and whether you use them or not is your own business.
Perhaps in the future, when pizza becomes the dish that will be served at receptions in the upper strata of society, aesthetes will come up with rules for how to eat it correctly. And while in the foreseeable present, there are none.

Several Yet useful tips which are useful.
What is usually served from drinks to pizza:

• Beer, wine, various juices, carbonated drinks, tea, coffee.

What can be served at the table where the main dish is pizza:

• To meat, fish - lungs vegetable salads dominated by tomatoes. And of course a lot of different sauces.
• To fruit - various fruit salads(for example), just fruits decorated with, for example, whipped cream and grated nuts or chocolate. Also light sweet desserts.

How to cook pizza you can see in the confectionery section.
That's like all. Now, after reading this article, you definitely won’t get into a mess, because you know What eating pizza with your hands or alternatively, with a fork and a knife, which also does not go beyond the scope of etiquette ..

It won't be the most important thing you'll learn online today, but anything related to pizza is important enough, right?

If you think pizza is perfect food, which can be comfortably absorbed, reflecting on life - you are mistaken. Eating pizza is like brushing your teeth: everyone does it, but in their own way. Fold. Filling. Place. Binge. All of these matter and vary according to personal preference.

No special rules, and what we list today is quite subjective, but it has a place to be. We eat pizza together with you and put everything on the shelves: how to hold a piece correctly, what to do with drops of fat and how not to eat delicious slices.

A note about forks and knives

Put them down. Don't ask them. Laugh at the people who use them. It's like cutting spaghetti into pieces instead of wrapping it around a fork. The first thing to understand is that pizza is made for bites. The only tools you need to eat it are your hands! You take your piece, bite it, put it back. And you keep doing this until the pizza slice is gone.

How to hold a slice

Here are the most common and quirky approaches to folding a pizza slice:

Plain

Some slices have a tough enough crust to do their job of supporting the weight of the filling and sauce. This piece does not need the help of a fold or pinch with your fingers. And that's perfectly fine for an aggressively-cooked, super-crispy base. So you don’t need to excel in the technique of eating with such pieces, just bite!

Fiasco

Speaking of thinner slices, if you hold a piece without bending the crust, the tip will drop and the filling will be on your knees in a second. In this case, hold the slice above your face and let it "fall" straight into your mouth.

in half

What's there? Pepperoni? You will never know, because you blasphemously folded your piece in half! Is this a sandwich? Do you like pizza at all? Please don't ever do this.

Master

Only selected masters have this technique. The one who eats like this retains his dignity and the dignity of the pizza. Make a slight bend in the crust with your thumb and middle finger underneath and your index finger on top, creating a structural triangle. Did you study geometry at school? Then we must remember that the triangle is the most strong figure. Therefore, this will give your piece more support and save you from fiasco and muddy knees.

pizza roll

We do not know if adequate people do this, but we tried.

Wallet

Cross the tip of your piece towards the center and fold the sides over to create a sealed pouch. This technique is great for very sluggish flexible slices.

Taco

We have come to the most enjoyable part of the meal. good crust- good, but the crust with sauce and cheese is even better. Therefore, approaching closer to the crust, stop, leaving a small strip of filling equal in width to the crust. Then fold the cheese strip towards the crust to form a taco, and don't choke on the dry dough.

What to do with fat

To begin with, if you were not going to consume fat, then you should not even go to a pizzeria. All the fat you see on your piece is mozzarella. Heating the cheese simply changes the physical form of the fat. This is an unforeseen, unbiased scenario. Fat is an integral part of the cheese experience, but if you really need to remove it, there are two ways to do it.

Get wet with a napkin or neighbor's T-shirt

You can blot the pizza with a thin likeness of a decent napkin. And you end up with these weird translucent pieces on the slice, which is great... If you like eating napkins.

How to eat pizza according to etiquette? Do you need to cut the delicacy into pieces with a knife and fork, or will it be more convenient to feast on an Italian dish with your hands?

We will open for you a big secret: only correct option does not exist. The choice depends on what environment you are in and what it obliges you to do. And from your personal wishes, of course.

Let's take a look at all the possible options.

What is the right way to eat pizza?

As we said, no clear rules. However, depending on which company and in which institution you dine, you should choose the most preferred option.

For example, in Italian restaurants Almost the only dish that is allowed to be eaten with your hands is pizza. Why? The answer is simple: that's how it is. Perhaps the reason lies in the fact that initially the fragrant cake was considered the food of the poor. Only later, and quite by accident, did she end up on the table of the royal nobility.

In some restaurants where you can order pizza, they will bring you pizza cutlery. This will be a kind of clue how to eat it. Also, if you are simply more comfortable eating with cutlery, that's your right. However, most often the dish is still eaten with your hands, folding a piece with a boat for greater convenience.

By the way, for those who do not eat up the bumpers, there is great news: you are real aesthetes! Previously, the sides were used only to hold the product, and after the main part of the piece was eaten, the sides were simply thrown onto the plate.

The reason for this is, again, traditions: since the fragrant cake was invented to be eaten by the poor, who always had dirty hands, the sides played the role of a simple “holder” of the dough. No one could have thought of adding cheese or sausages inside, as in our Vienna.

5 tips to help you decide how to eat pizza

So that you always have all the weapons, we have prepared for you the 5 most important tips that will guide you on how to start eating national dish Italy. In any country of the world!

1. If the pieces are quite large and can hardly fit on your plate, first cut them, and only then proceed to the meal;

2. If the restaurant hot pizza you were served cutlery, do not be too lazy to use them: most likely, it is customary to eat in this place according to all the rules of table etiquette;

3. While in a new company or in a restaurant abroad, pay attention to how others prefer to enjoy the dish, and take an example from them;

4. Start eating the dough from the sharp edge. If there is too much filling, it is permissible to wrap the edge up for greater convenience;

5. If a piece is incredibly viscous, and you can’t cut it, eat with your hands: viscous cheese is the most delicious!

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