I came to Italy open to trying everything, but I didn’t expect pizza here to feel so different from pizza at home. The crust is much thinner than what I am used to. Also the basil on the pizza really is my favortie thing because of how fresh it tastes and how it makes the pizza a million times better.
Almost everything on the table is fresh or made by someone we know. The sauce is homemade by a family friend. My host dad makes his own wine, so he always opens a bottle when we eat. It is amazing watching my host dad and his friend make the pizzas with at most three ingredients as toppings. It feels unusual since I am used to my unlimted options of what to put on pizza, but here it is very different. They pride themselves on a simple pizza. My host brothers like saying if the pizza is truly good, you want less toppings to really taste the flavor. I have made it now my misson to find the best pizza topping combo for me. So far it has been mozzarela with basil which is very simple but so good. I am very excited for pumpkin season because I have heard that is the best pizza in Parma. They use pumpkin as the sauce!
Even though pizza comes from Naples in southern Italy, the way my host family makes it is very Parma. They top it with Prosciutto di Parma, which is cured in the hills outside the city, and Parmigiano Reggiano, which can only be made here from local cows. The wine comes from very local people. We know who made the sauce, who made the wine and who made the pizza. I think it is also important how even on pizza Sunday we eat a meal with courses. It is not just the pizza.
