This summer, take a trip to six of Italy’s regions and its delish pizzas at Pizzafest by Fabbrica. The popular pizzeria, at its City Centre outlet, has curated a special menu featuring three veg and three non-veg pizzas from across six regions of Italy. The festival is on till May 20. My Kolkata dropped in and tried the hand-rolled Neapolitan-style pizzas and paired it up with some summer coolers.
The first among the veg pizzas was Piemonte, inspired by the Piedmont region of Italy – bordering France and Switzerland. As the region is known for its sophisticated cuisine, the pizza reflects the same. This classic pizza oozes with Fontina cheese and Mozzarella di Bufala. While the summer truffle paste, patented to the region, adds umami notes. The Pecorino cheese crisps add a crunch with a tangy flavour. We paired it up with a glass of Fresca, which was a refreshing mocktail stirred with tonic water, rosemary and orange bitters.
Piemonte and Fresca
Next on the vegetarian menu was a pizza inspired from Campania in southwestern Italy, which is believed to be the birthplace of pizzas. Topped with tomatoes, a key ingredient found in the pizzas of the region, it came loaded with halves of Kalamata Olives and fried capers. The pizza also had a generous layer of Mozzarella di Bufala and was dressed in Salsa Verde. The flavourful Kalamata Olives added a meaty texture to each slice. The non-alcoholic Fab Limonata pairing made it all the more tantalising, as the lemonade had flavours of strawberries, orange and basil.
Campania and Fab Limonata
The third option in the veg category was the Sicilia, representing the pizzas from Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island. The star of the pizza was Grana Padano — an aged Italian hard cheese that originates from the Po River Valley of northern Italy. The crust was slightly similar to focaccia bread, a feature common to Sicilian pizzas. It had slices of soft and juicy eggplant, red chillies, garlic, basil and tomatoes. The garlicky flavour with the Grana Padano cheese made every bite feel like an indulgence.
The Sicilia
The non-veg menu too has three varieties. Leading the menu was a pizza inspired by the north Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. Named after the region itself, the pizza came with a generous topping of Mortadella. Thin slices were culled out of the large Italian sausage quite popular in the region. The fresh Burrata on each slice sat on a toasted pistachio cream, making each bite wholesome. The mild sweetness and silky texture of the Mortadella sausages were an uncommon experience and delicious to the tastebuds. Pairing it with Aperol Spritz, an Italian wine-based cocktail, brought a whip of freshness.
Emilia Romagna and Aperol Spirtz
Next in line was Lazio, named after the central Italian region. It was inspired by Roman amatriciana pasta and was loaded with bacon. The pecorino and mozzarella came together to make it a cheesy wonder. Onions, tomatoes and black pepper added the final touches. This called for a cocktail and we went with an Italian Paloma — stirred with tequila, campari, pink grapefruit, orange and lime juice.
The Lazio
The final one came directly from the region of rolling hills, picturesque vineyards, and medieval towns — Tuscany. Called Toscana, this pizza had a flavourful rosemary chicken topping, black olives, Mozzarella di Bufala and garlic.
The Toscana
If you wish to end your celebration of Italian pizzas on a sweet note, you can order their Tiramisu. The Fabbrica in-house speciality dessert is crafted in layers with Italian mascarpone, savoiardi and espresso. Buon appetito!
