In Naples, Italy, there is a special pizza school. People from many countries come here. They want to learn how to make real Italian pizza.
These students are called pizzaioli. They learn at the AVPN school. AVPN means True Neapolitan Pizza Association. It started in 1984. The school teaches how to make pizza the traditional way.
What Is Real Pizza?
Not all pizzas are the same. The AVPN says a real Neapolitan pizza is round. It has a soft crust. It bakes in 90 seconds. It uses fresh tomato, mozzarella, and basil. People must make it by hand. They cannot use machines. There are only two official types. One type is Margherita. The other type is Marinara.
Pizza Spies
The AVPN also sends out secret pizza agents. These agents visit pizza restaurants. They check if the pizza is good or not. If a restaurant makes bad pizza, they lose their certificate.
One agent said:
“I saw a pizza with bad dough. That is not OK!”
The AVPN course is very hard. Students learn about dough, salt, water, and ovens. They make 40 pizzas a day.
Gemma, a student from Canada, says:
“I feel nervous. But I only have 3 minutes to show my pizza. So I just do it.”
Judges test the pizzas. If the pizza is good, the student gets a certificate. This means they can make “real” pizza in their country.
The Pizza World
About 1,000 pizzerias in the world have the AVPN certificate. They are in Japan, Brazil, Korea, UK, and more.
If a restaurant cheats, the AVPN removes it. One restaurant in Japan lost its title because the dough was wrong.
Some people want new pizza styles. Others want to keep old ways. The AVPN tries to do both.
Di Porzio, a teacher, says:
“Pizza is always changing. But we must teach the old ways too.”
Source: bbc.com
Vocabulary for the Article
Real – Something true or not fake.
Example: This is real Neapolitan pizza.
Pizzaiolo – A person who makes pizza in Italy.
Example: He trains to be a pizzaiolo.
Crust – The outside part of a pizza.
Example: The pizza has a soft crust.
Dough – A soft mix of flour and water for bread or pizza.
Example: She makes pizza dough by hand.
Oven – A hot machine to cook food.
Example: The pizza goes into the oven.
Certificate – A paper that shows you passed a test.
Example: She got a pizza certificate.
Test – A way to check what you know or can do.
Example: He passed the pizza test.
Agent – A person who checks secret things.
Example: The agent checks the pizza shop.
Tradition – A way people do something for many years.
Example: Pizza is part of Italian tradition.
Fresh – New and not old or frozen.
Example: This pizza uses fresh tomato.
Rule – A thing you must follow.
Example: The school has pizza rules.
Bake – To cook in an oven.
Example: They bake the pizza in 90 seconds.
Remove – To take away something.
Example: They remove the restaurant from the list.
Country – A place like Italy, Japan, or Brazil.
Example: Many students come from other countries.