The pizza Margherita and Marinara were the first types of pizza in history. The recipes of these Italian pizzas date back to the 17th century and consist of a number of different basic ingredients. A stone oven was used to bake the pizzas. Where do these Italian pizzas originally come from and what is the origin of the names ‘Margherita’ and ‘Marinara’? What ingredients do you need to prepare these pizzas?
History Italian Pizza
The Vikings who lived in the 9th century baked their bread before eating it. This gave the bread a pizza-like structure. However, the recipe for the first pizza (with Mediterranean herbs) was only discovered in the 17th century. Baking was done in the Italian city of Naples using brick ovens.
A pizza consisted only of a pizza crust with a limited number of different herbs that could be found around the Mediterranean.
Margaret & Marinara
Originally there were only two types of pizza, namely the ‘Margherita’ and ‘Marinara’. The pizza Margherita is the oldest pizza variant and is named after the then Queen of Italy (Margaretha). The Margherita includes basil, mozzarella, and tomato. These are also the colors of the Italian flag, namely green, white, and red. The pizza marinara has a different origin and owes its name to the fishermen who worked in the Bay of Naples and ate this pizza. This dish includes oregano and garlic.
Preparing The Italian Pizza Base
Ingredients
- 250 grams of hard white flour type 00, type 0, or a combination
- 175 milliliters of water
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 bag of dry yeast (3.5 grams)
Preparing The Dough Italian Pizza
White flour type 0, type 00, or a combination of both can be used to prepare the dough. White flour ‘0’ is wheat flour that is less finely ground than white flour ’00’. Dough consisting of flour ’00’ is therefore somewhat more elastic than dough consisting of flour ‘0’. You should mix the flour with dry yeast and salt. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add half a teaspoon of olive oil. 
Then add about 100 milliliters of water at about 37 degrees and start kneading from the center of the dough. Then keep adding a tablespoon of water several times while kneading until a total of about 175 milliliters of water has been added. The dough you need to knead the for about 10 minutes.
Rising
After kneading, the dough should rise. You do this by placing the dough under a tea towel and putting it away in a warm place. The dough should rise slowly. You let the dough rise for about two hours until the dough has doubled in size.
Creating The Italian Pizza Shape
The round shape of an Italian pizza should officially be made without a rolling pin. You do this by gently pulling the dough apart until the bottom has taken on the shape of a flat circle. Some experienced pizza makers create this shape by swinging the pizza in a circular motion. The bottom of an Italian pizza should ultimately be about 3 millimeters thick.
Marinara
Ingredients:
- 700 grams of ripe (fresh) tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 4 teaspoons of olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Blanching The Tomatoes
You need to blanch tomatoes so that you can remove the skin. Blanching is a technique in which you boil the tomatoes briefly and then submerge them in ice water or under a cold tap. This ensures that you can easily peel the tomatoes. After peeling, cut the tomatoes in half and remove the juice and seeds.
Removing the juice and seeds is beneficial for the taste experience. After removing the juice and seeds, cut the tomatoes into small pieces and divide them over the Italian pizza dough. Then divide four teaspoons of olive oil over the tomato pieces.
Preparing Garlic And Other Herbs
Cut the garlic into thin slices and divide the slices over the tomato. Then sprinkle the entire Italian pizza with the oregano, freshly ground pepper, and salt.
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Margaret
Ingredients:
- 500 grams of ripe (fresh) tomatoes
- Basil (15 grams)
- Mozzarella di buffola (or fior di latte) (200 grams)
- 4 teaspoons of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Preparing The Mozzarella
Grate the mozzarella into large pieces and then add half a tablespoon of freshly ground pepper and two tablespoons of olive oil. You should then let the mozzarella stand for about an hour so that the mozzarella gets a strong taste. You can also use it for a di latte instead of mozzarella.
Preparing The Tomatoes
You need to blanch the tomatoes first. Cut the tomatoes in half to remove the juice and seeds. Then cut the tomatoes into smaller pieces and sprinkle salt over the tomatoes. Alternatively, you can use a can of chopped San Marzano tomatoes as an ingredient. Finally, divide both the mozzarella and the tomato pieces over the pizza dough.
Basil And Parmesan Cheese
Cut the basil into small pieces and spread it over the pizza. Then grate the Parmesan cheese evenly over the pizza. Then drizzle the pizza with two tablespoons of olive oil.
Baking The Italian Pizza In The Oven
You need to preheat the oven for the right result. This gives you the opportunity to create a pizza with a hard base without affecting the topping. The hard bottom that is created due to the heat is conducive to the taste experience. If you decide to use a standard oven, set the oven to its highest setting. Usually, this is about 250 to 300 degrees. Preheating takes about 5 to 20 minutes and depends on what kind of oven you have.
When the oven is preheated, carefully place the pizza in the oven. During heating, the toppings melt together. This ensures that the food ultimately stays in place. If the oven does not have a rotating mechanism, it is recommended to carefully turn the pizza (using an oven glove) after about 7 minutes to 180 degrees.
This is important because the heat in the oven is usually not evenly distributed. It takes about 12 to 15 minutes until the pizza is completely cooked. If you use a stone oven, you only need 2 to 3 minutes to bake a pizza. A stone oven can reach a temperature of 500 degrees, which means that the baking process is shorter.
