- Sorry can I tell some bad word?
It's (beep).
- You can say (beep).
You can say it right to me.
- That's a (beep).
- Hold on I'm bloated.
(Zach burps)
- We haven't done anything.
(Zach groans)
- I'm just so excited for pizza!
(Italian music)
Oh hey.
Today we're covering Neapolitan pizza in New York City.
- [Zach] Neapolitan pizza originated in Naples, Italy,
where it is prepared with simple, fresh ingredients,
and cooked at a high temperature,
for a short amount of time.
This is the pizza style Italian immigrants brought
to the US in the early 20th century,
which later inspired the New York pizza,
that we know and love today.
So now,
we're gonna show you,
the three best spots for Neapolitan pizza.
One of my favorite places to come,
is Keste Pizza & Vino.
- [Zach] This place here,
will teach you.
You're not even just eating you're learning things,
and learning's really fun I think.
So let's go learn some stuff about pizza.
Roberto nice to meetcha I'm Zach.
- Nice to meet you.
(indistinct chatter)
- Thank you for having us here.
- Oh thank you for coming.
- [Roberto] Neapolitan pizza is very specific,
all Neapolitan is not Neapolitan.
- Like what is the criteria for a Neapolitan pizza for you?
- [Roberto] For me Neapolitan pizza is,
make a dough with the flour.
In this case a couple of flours come from Naples.
The pizzas look like every other dish in the oven balance.
So you have enough tomato,
cook on top of the pizza,
we don't precook,
in our pizza.
And we top it and finish inside the oven,
so normally that,
all the extra oil evaporate.
The oil come from Italy,
and they use a volcanic stone from Sorrento.
Like a huge microwave,
but it's not a microwave.
(Zach laughs)
- [Zach] We have our Neapolitan slice.
So good.
(men laugh)
That's so good.
What a relief if it was bad I would've had to tell you.
Okay first pizza.
- I have something special for you.
- You have something special for me?
- Yes.
- [Roberto] So try this one now.
- [Zach] Okay so this one is our fried dough.
(indistinct chatter)
That's an insane flavor you got going in there.
- [Zach] You fry the dough for like what,
50 seconds?
- [Roberto] For 45 seconds something like that.
- [Zach] 45 seconds.
Then same as this?
- [Roberto] Yeah we use the different styles.
Present them in a different way.
That's a what a Buffalo mozzarella is a,
smoke with a Buffalo mozzarella,
we brought from Italy.
- [Zach] Smoked, so two types.
- [Roberto] Is no oily.
- [Zach] Yeah there's no,
there's no grease there's no oil
- [Roberto] We push the gas in the crust,
so the crust is full with air,
see, it's coming back.
- [Zach] Right.
- [Roberto] And there's no full with dough,
so that is very important.
90 second would be, cook, airy, see.
- [Zach] Yeah.
- [Roberto] Is very old pizza.
Is older then that.
- [Zach] I never heard about fried dough pizza before that.
- [Roberto] Yeah it's typical just...
- [Zach] And you're saying this is old.
- [Roberto] Yeah typical in Naples.
- [Zach] So you're immigrating pizza.
- [Roberto] Yeah.
I was made immigrant in this way.
- [Zach] When did you immigrate here?
- [Roberto] 1999.
- [Zach] 99.
- [Roberto] In Pittsburgh.
- [Zach] Pittsburgh yay.
- [Roberto] Yeah first city was Pittsburgh, PA.
(Zach laughs)
- [Roberto] At that time,
I didn't know United States was a,
Neapolitan pizzeria.
Can you call Neapolitan?
'Cause everybody can don't know
make a Neapolitan pizza tell,
oh that is no Neapolitan pizza new style.
No is no new style.
Nothing wrong,
can be still really good.
- [Zach] Yeah it can be good.
But... - - It's just not what this is.
- Is no Neapolitan Pizza.
- Right.
- Sorry can I tell some bad word,
it's (beep).
You can say (beep). - - Yes.
- You can say it right to me.
That's (beep) - - That's (beep)
- [Roberto] But pizza in Naples,
in Italy,
it's a different.
They always ask me,
what you do in Italy for,
you want to socialize?
Let's go have pizza friend.
You can socialize the way you like.
My faster pizza is a,
put together people.
And that's the reason we have a $5.00 pizza.
Doesn't matter you rich, poor or middle class or,
you can afford better pizza.
That is us idea.
That was mean pizza in Naples.
- [Zach] Can you run for President?
(Roberto laughs)
- [Roberto] I don't think so no.
- [Zach] Your speaking everything I want
other people to say.
(Zach laughs)
- Okay.
17th century was already,
deliver the pizza.
This was the first delivery box,
at the time was no box.
- Wow!
- And that was see.
- Wow!
- And that the was the first pizza was make in the world.
The 16th century.
It's called Mast'nicola.
- [Zach] That lid kept all the,
the aroma.
I had no idea there was even a pizza in here
'til you opened the lid.
- [Roberto] There was delivery at that time,
17th century.
It was by the slice.
So the slice the deliverers are making it there.
This pizza was the first pizza yeah.
It was no tomato in this pizza.
They were tomato no exist yet in the 16th century.
- [Zach] Yeah.
- [Roberto] Tomatoes come from Peru.
So you can smell.
You tell me what you think about this pizza.
So what you think huh?
- I think you know what I think,
it's very good!
Pecorino Romano is the base?
- Yes.
- Can I ask you what your favorite pizza,
besides your own pizza that you make,
which,
is clearly a favorite to many.
What's you other favorite pizza places in New York city?
- Bono Pizza la Brezzata is really good.
The next one in Sottocasa (speaking Italian).
- That's one of my favorites,
it's in my neighborhood so it's one of my favorites.
- Sottocasa,
worked for me for two years, three years.
Get out! - - Luca.
We're going to them on Wednesday.
- Okay.
- We're going to hang out with them.
- Luca is one of my best students so.
- I was so nervous like your,
we're going to go to somewhere else,
and you're like I hate that place!
- No.
(Zack laughs)
- So thank god I have your approval.
- She need eat too so.
- She needs to eat some,
you need to eat some of this too.
- As you say this is it.
Come here.
The man knows his pizza.
Thank you so much. - - Thank you.
Oh by the way another thing is very important.
Pizza is a woman.
Woman is, name of pizza is a woman's name.
Before,
in the 17th century.
Most of pizza maker was a woman,
I don't know if you know.
So my daughter is a pizza maker too,
she's the one I tell you about.
Yeah a lot woman go back now.
It was a male job but is not true.
Woman is much better make pizza,
for sure, so.
(woman laughs)
- 2020
(men laugh)
Pizza's a woman.
That's the slogan.
It doesn't look like pizza,
it looks like a restaurant.
- [Woman] Yeah, okay.
- I was surprised by that.
But it's good pizza!
- [Woman] How much is a slice?
Good gotta get me a piece.
- I have to talk to her,
I forget every time I gotta talk to you more.
We're here to continue our pizza tour of,
the Neapolitan style.
I think this is one of the best ones here.
Let's go check out how they do it.
Very excited I get the first pie of the day.
Like we saw at Keste,
a very lovely crust.
Also love this sauce.
It's right out to the edges here.
It's a very nicely defined border.
I don't normally like borders,
but on pizza I'm okay with them.
Full spackle of,
of char but not too much.
Wait I forgot.
- [Camera Woman] You're a pizza folder.
- I am a pizza folder.
- [Camera Woman] I don't like pizza folders.
- You don't like pizza folders?
- [Camera Woman] I don't fold my pizza.
- I like pizza folder.
You know what?
- [Camera Woman] I think you just really like sandwiches.
- What? What does that mean?
- [Camera Woman] It's a sandwich.
When you fold two pieces of bread.
- No it's not.
Okay start voting now at the phone number below.
Call us up at delish.com,
you're either with Chelsea that folding is an abomination,
or folding is okay,
and everybody has free will.
Anyway, let's try.
(Zack moans)
- [Camera Woman] Did you just hug yourself?
- I did.
'Cause this pizza was like a hug.
It's so good the way the cheese,
and the basil,
like those flavors are so distinct,
in your mouth.
It's so nice.
It's so bizarrely fluffy to me,
and it does feel like a nice blanket,
for my mouth.
And your mouth needs blankets.
You clothe your body,
but your mouth needs a little warmth every now and then too,
you know what I'm saying?
I don't know what I'm saying.
Hello!- - Hello!
- Thank you so much for making this pizza for me.
- Thank you!
And I'm presenting you with,
a official Sottocasa t-shirt.
- Does this get me any like membership here?
- Ah, no, but...
- Oh!
- You know you can come in wear it and get to work.
- I can be like?
Oh I can work!
(men laugh)
How long have you been making pizza?
- I've been making pizzas for the past,
9 years.
- [Luca] I've always been interested in the,
hospitality business,
more the front of the house actually,
but then we were playing around,
with some friends at home,
making pizzas in regular oven,
and we were trying you know,
to get to the closest possible to Neapolitan pizza,
so we bought the stone,
the scythe and this and that and bricks.
And we find out that there was no way to,
replicate a wood fire oven.
I went into a pizzeria just,
the idea was to just learn how to do it,
and my mentor that you met Roberto Caporuscio,
he said no way,
I'm not gonna teach you.
If you want to work,
we'll see if you can do it,
and you're going to be working.
(Zach laughs)
And I said okay,
that's fine.
And then, so then then we ended up making pizzas.
- Did you just learn like one style,
or did you learn all styles?
How did you settle basically on Neapolitan?
- I, we make Neapolitan because I do believe,
it's the best pizza!
I know we're in Brooklyn,
but still I love Neapolitan pie.
I love all the wetness,
the flavors they are so distinct.
- Yeah I've gotta say I,
am from Brooklyn,
so I've had a lot of different styles of pizza.
- I know.
- I do love Neapolitan because of that freshness.
- So when you grew up being a Brooklyn boy.
- Hmhm
- Did you think pizza was invented in Brooklyn?
- Absolutely!
- Okay
(men laugh)
- Am I wrong?
- Ah, no, no, no, no.
- Naples can have pizza.
We still got Barbara Streisand,
we got,
we had the Brooklyn Dodgers,
take care of them Los Angeles.
We got Spike Lee,
Cyclones just won our championship,
that was great.
Now my Mom sent me a cartoon about your oven.
Can you please tell me,
a little bit more about the oven?
- Yeah there was an amazing cartoon.
So our oven,
it came flying,
on top of the building,
and with a huge crane,
and was it just dropped gently,
where is sitting now,
and then,
so we built,
a room around it,
and then we closed it.
- Yeah.
- And so now,
it's gonna stay there forever,
'cause that oven is about two and a half tons.
- I don't mean to blow your mind,
but there are other ovens.
Like why, why, why take a crane and all that,
and build a whole thing around?
(men laugh)
- Honestly,
first of all,
because,
it is,
one of the best ovens you can find around,
and it comes from Naples in one piece.
- Sure.
- And it's an amazing piece of baking machinery.
When we first signed the lease,
I thought it would've been a lot easier to get it in,
so I bought it.
- Moving into Brooklyn has all the flaws.
- Moving into Brooklyn.
You don't want to move into Brooklyn with a,
wood fire oven.
That's something I'd probably want'a rethink.
- Probably won't be doing that anytime soon?
- Yeah
- But I love that you have it,
'cause it produces such a great pizza.
- There you go!
- And it's so wonderful.
I was saying earlier,
this pizza's kinda like I feel like,
I'm being hugged by my own food.
- Oh okay,
I love that.
(Zack laughs)
- That could be on a shirt?
- Yeah.
- If you want a new shirt.
- Hug your pizza she'll hug you back.
- Yeah!
There we go!
Thank you so much for making me this edible hug.
(Zack laughs)
- Absolutely.
Thank you very much. - - Thank you.
- See you next time.
Yeah. - - Enjoy your pizza!
- Yeah I'm going to keep eating it though.
- [Camera Woman] How are you doing over there Zach?
- Just,
give me some time.
All right our final spot on the Neapolitan tour,
at Pizza Moto!
This is by far,
one of the best Neapolitan pizzeria places around town.
We gotta see what this is.
So when we were talking on the phone,
and I was like I want to come here
'cause this is great Neapolitan pizza.
You were saying to me,
well it's actually like Brooklyn Neapolitan pizza.
- Right.
- What to you is the difference between,
Neapolitan pizza and Brooklyn Neapolitan pizza?
- Well,
you know there's a lotta religion around pizza.
There's a lot of you should and shouldn'ts,
and,
for us,
you know we're making pizza with American ingredients,
in America,
in an American made oven.
This mozzarella is made in,
you know,
by Lioni Latticini,
and they have a plant in New Jersey.
The basil comes from the roof garden at Wholefoods,
and,
the tomatoes come from California,
and,
the flour comes from the middle of the country,
and so,
it's this sort of you know again,
it's like a mash up.
- You're taking the jazz,
but you're putting a little trad cocusso with it.
- A little bit.
I think when you call out the moniker Neapolitan,
it's like DOC on your wine bottle.
It means that it was made,
in Chianti,
and it was made by that guy with these grapes,
in this soil.
But, this is different.
- I used to come here when it was a Papa John's,
and it did not taste this good.
- Oh yeah?
- So I'm wondering,
what do you have that Papa John doesn't?
- Well we have everything that Papa John's had,
this oven was here while they were here,
but they had built a wall in front of it because,
that's not,
you know that's not what they do.
We thought it had good bones
and we went to work on the oven so,
this is a live ingredient the dough,
and the fire is alive,
and so we kinda have to do this dance where,
we have to decide how much energy is coming off the fire,
at anytime in the night,
and where the pizza goes in relationship to it,
to kind'a try to get it to come out the same every time.
- So there's a bit of a science to your fire magic.
- Yeah it's like,
It's a little happy marriage of art and science.
I always say if you can make pizza for Pizza Moto,
you can make pizza for anyone,
because,
we've never had it easy when it comes to making our pizza,
you know either it's outside,
in a home made mobile oven in the rain,
or you come in here and deal with this like,
10 foot long peel.
I mean this is a piece of,
Brooklyn history and culinary history.
This was built,
like not long after the Brooklyn Bridge was finished.
As somebody who studies restaurants in Brooklyn especially,
it's really,
I take a lotta pride in the fact that,
we don't have to fake,
or decoupage,
history on to the walls of our place,
like it actually is the thing,
that we all want to be a part of and experience.
- The Brooklyn Bridge and then,
they're like we did a bridge,
let's do an oven.
- If you can do that,
then you can go anywhere else and make pizza like,
instantly.
It's not something that,
the people who live in Naples would say is good pizza
because their style,
the way they eat pizzas,
with a knife and fork,
and they don't cut it into slices,
and it's very soft and they cook it very fast.
This style is something where,
it's a little bit cooked a little bit longer so,
it's a litte more dehydrated,
which gives it a little more,
as we know like when things dehydrate they get crispy,
and instead of like just,
flopping over like a wet wash cloth,
it has a little structure to it.
It's just our style,
and we,
like all those styles you know,
but this is just what this thing seems to do well,
this oven.
You know whatever people want to call the best,
that's so fluid of a definition,
like you know is it the best
because it reminds you of where you grew up
or is it the best because it tastes like
your grandmother's home made pizza
or is it the best because,
the guy behind the counter screams at you,
you know if you put too much cheese on or whatever.
You know we're just the humble servants of the a,
of the ingredients here.
- I like that you've made such a good pizza,
and you're still just like,
don't look at me I've just given you sustenance,
now, now go!
Our other pizzas that we've seen today
have not had as pronounced a bubble.
Before I even eat it,
I can already feel,
like that this was made by wood on fire.
I do want to eat it
but I just want to look at it a little bit more.
Okay, I'm done, I want to eat.
It's sliding a little bit off,
but it's kind'a nicely,
cooked and fresh,
everything fresh about this pizza,
and you also had that fresh Parmesan grated right on top.
It's a double cheese perfecto!
That's what we call it.
Now I guess.
- [Camera Woman] That was uhh,
not so graceful.
But it looked good.
- Don't need grace when you have good taste.
- [Camera Woman] Your mother tell you that?
- Nope I tell myself that.
(Zach laughs)
At the end of every bad date I have.
That bite I just,
I just annihilated most of the toppings.
They've kind of come together
and they don't want to be apart.
Oh my gosh.
It's so thin,
you can almost see through it.
Can you see that?
- [Camera Woman] I can see you Zach.
- Can you see this?
That's insane!
You can basically see through your crust to the other side.
It's like I'm looking through the,
yeah,
I can see through the pizza and see another universe.
This moz' it,
still like tastes wet.
It was in a fire and it tastes wet,
it still has all those flavors you love from just like,
biting into a ball of mozzarella cheese,
this basil,
as we know I love basil,
very well done.
This tastes and feels like a fire,
but like a good fire.
It's just really good!
Just trust me.
Please like and subscribe to Delish,
if you enjoyed our pizza adventures,
and tell us in the comments section what kind of
pizza style you would like us to review next time.
Now, please go away I need to eat all this pizza,
and it's going to look pretty gross.
(Italian music)
I'm single.
(mouse click)