Pizza Fritta: The Heart of Naples in the World of Italian Street Food.

Pizza from Naples is a must to try when in Italy. Let’s discover a delicious fried pizza style that will amaze you.

When it comes to street food in Italy, pizza emerges as one of the undisputed stars. With regional variations telling local stories and traditions. In Sicily, for example, sfincione looks like a mix between a focaccia and a pizza. The sfincione looks like a focaccia with a soft base covered in tomatoes, onions, anchovies, oregano and cheese. You can find it in markets and during folk festivals. In Puglia, on the other hand, puccia is the sandwich par excellence. This is a pizza dough stuffed with a variety of local ingredients. Liguria region offers its special focaccia al formaggio di Recco. This specialty is a thin cheese-filled pastry that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. When in Rome, instead, be ready for the crispy and thin pizza alla romana.

Sfincione is the typical focaccia from Sicily. This is a must to try when in Palermo or in one of the sicilian street food shops

But it is in Naples that pizza as street food reaches one of its most fascinating expressions: fried pizza.

Have you ever heard of the fried pizza called a ogge a otto (take today pay in 8)? This curious name dates back to the postwar period, when people could buy fried pizza on credit. By paying the bill for after a week, indeed, everyone could afford to buy their pizza . The families of pizza makers, living in small studio apartments called bassi, sold these delicacies directly out of their homes. Over time, the preparation and sale of fried pizza became a primarily female tradition, with women frying and serving it on sidewalks.

The iconic scene from the movie L’Oro di Napoli (1954) – by Vittorio de Sica with Sofia Loren selling pizza fritta

Iconic pizza scene with Sofia Loren

An iconic celebration of this tradition is the scene in the 1954 film L’oro di Napoli starring Sophia Loren. In one of the most memorable scenes, Loren shouts, “You eat today and pay in eight days,” as an engagement ring falls into her dough. Not only does this film offer a fascinating insight into Neapolitan life, but the taste of fried pizza continues to evoke the past in Naples’ specialized pizzerias.

Montanara is a street food style pizza that you can taste in Naples & in Rome as well

Pizza recipes & its variants

Deep-fried pizza is made with the same dough as traditional pizza, but instead of being baked in a wood-fired oven, it is dipped in hot oil, swelling and creating a meal that seems more filling. Stuffing variations are many and all are delicious. The classic version includes ricotta cheese, cicoli and pepper: the creaminess of the ricotta cheese combines with the crunchiness of the cicoli, small pieces of pork rendered crispy, while the pepper adds a lively touch.
Another ever-loved option is fried pizza with tomato, mozzarella and basil. This filling is reminiscent of pizza margherita, but in the fried version the mozzarella becomes stringy and irresistible, while fresh basil adds an unmistakable fragrance.

Salami & pizza: marriage of love

For those seeking stronger flavors, there is the fried pizza with salami and ricotta. The salami, with its intense, spicy flavor, balances perfectly with the sweetness of the ricotta, creating a truly inviting mix. For the more refined palates, the combination of smoked provola and friarielli is a must; the slightly bitter flavor of this vegetable blends perfectly with the smoked provola, creating a filling with a strong, enveloping flavor.