ITALY is one of Brits' favourite holiday destinations, and it's also the birthplace of one of the most beloved dishes of all time: pizza.
But most tourists make big pizza mistakes whenever they visit, from ordering pizzas that don’t exist to going to the wrong restaurants.
These common mistakes might lead you to have a disappointing experience when eating pizza, and they can also turn out to be expensive.
I'm an Italian, born and raised in Rome and now living in London – if you want to buy and eat pizza like a pro, read on to find out where to go and what to always avoid.
Where to buy pizza
As a general rule of thumb, you should always avoid big chain restaurants and tourist traps located near monuments and tourist attractions.
These restaurants usually sell mass-produced pizza, which doesn’t hold the same quality as the original Italian pizza-making culture.
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Instead, you should go for a local trattoria or pizzeria, where they make their pizzas fresh to order with premium ingredients and traditional techniques.
A lot of traditional places often have a giant wood-fired oven in the middle of the restaurants, and you’ll get to see the pizza chef “pizzaiolo”) making your pizza.
Another good trick is to avoid restaurants with extensive and varied menus, as it might mean they're not authentic.
“Pepperoni” pizza
A pepperoni pizza is one of the most popular options in the UK. However, it is not what you think once you land in Italy.
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In the UK, a pepperoni pizza is a red pizza sauce base, cheese and pepperoni, a spicy salami made from seasoned cured pork and beef.
But in Italy, there’s no such thing, and to make matters worse, “peperoni” actually means peppers in Italian.
To avoid disappointment, you should order a "Diavola” if you're after the Italian version of the pepperoni pizzas.
If you like really spicy salami, a “Nduja pizza” is also a great option.
Pineapple Pizza
Many tourists probably already know it, but, unfortunately for pineapple pizza lovers, this one does not exist, so save yourself the trouble of trying to order it at an Italian pizzeria.
If you can’t give up fruit on pizza, you could opt for a “pizza e fichi,” which is a pizza with figs.
This one comes with a white base with salt and olive oil and is usually topped with mozzarella, garlic, figs and ham.
Margherita pizza
Compared to the endless amount of meaty options we have in the UK, a Margherita might seem like the blandest of options.
However, this one is actuaI Italians' favourite – and most ordered – pizza.
It is also common for Italians to say that if the restaurant can’t make a good Margherita pizza, they probably won’t be good at making any other type.
Dipping sauces
In the UK, we have plenty of pizza dipping sauces. You can find anything from garlic and herb, chilli, honey and mustard, bbq to hummus, mayo and ketchup.
Therefore it might be surprising to know that dipping sauces don’t exist in Italy, so you can spare yourself from asking and getting confused looks from the waiters.
Italians eat their pizza as it comes, with no dipping sauces or extra cheese on top either – it's just as good as it is.
However, sometimes you might be able to find chilli oil to add to your pizza.
Sides
Pizza is usually served as a main dish in Italy rather than with sides.
However, most pizzerias offer antipasti (appetisers), typically served before the pizza.
The most common antipasti you’ll find are “bruschetta” with tomatoes, olives and cured meat and cheese platters.
A variety of “fritti” aka deep fried foods are also usually available.
These include “arancini”, which are fried rice balls filled with cheese and meat, or “fritti misti”, a selection of fried vegetables and seafood.
Cappuccino and pizza
In the UK, we drink cappuccinos at all times; however, it is typically frowned upon in Italy to order a cappuccino with your pizza.
Cappuccino is traditionally served as a morning beverage only, so you should probably pair your pizza with water, a chilled drink, a beer or an Aperol Spritz.
Ordering a cappuccino after your meal is also a big no-no, so if you're in need of a caffeine fix, you should order an espresso.
How to eat pizza the Italian way
Now that we've got the big ordering mistakes out of the way, you should also know how to eat pizza like an Italian pro.
Firstly, you should drop your fork and knife and just use your hands – it is much easier.
You could also try the “wallet pizza” method, which comes from the expression “pizza a portafoglio.”
All you have to do is fold the pizza slice in half so that the toppings are on the inside and the dough is on the outside.
Once that's done, you can eat your slide like a sandwich and rest assured that no toppings will fall off.
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