The Pizzaiole of Perugia
On Tuesday, November 13th, Pizza & Musica hosted Umbra’s Pizza-Making Workshop. Ten students listened intently to the history behind Italy’s famous dish before crowding around the pizzaiolo to learn the art of the perfect pizza. First, students spread the dough into a circle by spinning it right to left on the table while simultaneously spreading their fingers. Once the dough was in the correct form, circular and thin with a bit of a crust, they spread one spoonful of red sauce and sprinkled a small handful of mozzarella di buffalo on top. There were numerous toppings to choose from so every pizza was personalized!
The next part was a little more difficult: getting the uncooked pizza into the oven using a pala. Pala means shovel in Italian and is a long-handled tool with a wide surface at the end to scoop up the pizza. Swift movements were key and many students made the transfer without a hitch! The pizzaiolo then taught students how to rotate the pizza while in the oven using a paletta (a similar tool with a smaller circular surface at the end). In a wood-fired oven, pizzas only take 3 to 4 minutes to cook so students had their personal pizzas in no time.
New culinary skills, delicious pizza, and good conversation with friends made for a fun and successful evening!