The original Naples pizza used just a few fresh basil leaves to decorate the Italian tricolore inspired tomato-topped Margherita pizza. And the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) approves only a pinch of oregano if it’s for a Neapolitan marinara sauce.
But purists are purists, and it’s great that they are protecting the original pizza for posterity. The rest of us, though, can be as experimental and innovative with our pizza herbs as we want, right?
Why are basil and oregano the best pizza herbs?
The original and the best? Maybe.
Oregano has a pleasing blend of sweetness and bitterness that goes really well with the saltiness of popular pizza toppings like olives, capers, dried meats. It also works nicely with the spicier pepperoni, which is the world’s favourite pizza topping.
Basil is naturally sweet with minty, peppery notes, but only if you use it fresh. Ideally, pluck from a basil plant and throw it on your pizza right at the end, as a garnish. Cook it or dry it and it gives you nothing.
Several homemade pizza recipes call for ‘Italian herbs’ or ‘Italian seasoning’, a combination of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley, thyme, chilli flakes and garlic powder, which work perfectly well if you’re making pizzas with the family.
Should I use salt and pepper on my pizza?
Salt and pepper, while not strictly herbs, season your pizza beautifully, bringing out the flavours of the tomato sauce, cheese and your chosen toppings. And let’s face it, a huge black pepper mill adds some wonderful drama, too, as you serve your perfectly cooked pizza.
What are the weirdest herbs used on pizzas?
If you want drama, you could turn to the weirder pizzas, which call on herbs a million miles from the elegance of oregano and basil.
Hawaiian pizza has the ability to end friendships, but that’s more about the pineapple than the herb choices (which could be oregano, parsley or mixed Italian herbs). But a game changer is the banana and curry pizza – a Swedish favourite. Curry. On a pizza.
If you like salmon on your pizza, then adding dill might not be the weirdest choice, and chilli flakes and parsley complements tuna pizza pretty well. Add harissa for a Moroccan twist or five spice sprinkled over duck and plum could be a dream come true.
What do you think are the best herbs for a pizza – or what is the weirdest pizza you’ve tried? Time to experiment.
The Margherita, THE CLASSIC pizza?! As legend has it, on June 11, 1889, to honour the Queen consort of Italy, Margherita of Savoy, the Neapolitan pizza maker Raffaele Esposito created the "Pizza Margherita". Made with marinara sauce, mozzarella, and basil, it represents the Flag of Italy. Simple but super tasty! Pizza dough This recipe uses Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana recipe [...]
San Marzano tomatoes are the god of the tomato world. Grown in the Sarno Valley, just outside Naples, they take their goodness from the fertile volcanic soils of Mount Vesuvius and the gentle sea breeze of the Gulf of Naples. Sunshine is baked in. Picked by hand at their perfect ripeness between August and September, [...]
A radical twist on a chilli beef pizza takes a Mexican inspired flavour combo with chilli and chocolate! This radical twist on a chilli beef pizza takes a Mexican inspired flavour combo with chilli and chocolate. The bitter dark chocolate grated over at the last minute accentuates the sweetness of the chilli beef and it’s [...]
AVPN, the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, is the international standard of the true Neapolitan pizza. It takes its place alongside authentication certificates created in the mid-90s for fine wine, olive oil, cheese and traditional goodies. These stamps of approval help discerning foodies pick out the products that follow strict guidelines, celebrate traditional methods and are [...]
Best herbs to use on a pizza
But purists are purists, and it’s great that they are protecting the original pizza for posterity. The rest of us, though, can be as experimental and innovative with our pizza herbs as we want, right?
Why are basil and oregano the best pizza herbs?
The original and the best? Maybe.
Oregano has a pleasing blend of sweetness and bitterness that goes really well with the saltiness of popular pizza toppings like olives, capers, dried meats. It also works nicely with the spicier pepperoni, which is the world’s favourite pizza topping.
Basil is naturally sweet with minty, peppery notes, but only if you use it fresh. Ideally, pluck from a basil plant and throw it on your pizza right at the end, as a garnish. Cook it or dry it and it gives you nothing.
What other herbs are good on pizzas?
Thyme and rosemary feature high on the alternative herbs for pizzas list. Try Jamie Oliver’s potato, tomato, rosemary and thyme pizza. Or give a tex-mex pizza a go, with chipotle paste, cumin and cinnamon the stars of the show on a chilli con carne meat-feast pizza.
Several homemade pizza recipes call for ‘Italian herbs’ or ‘Italian seasoning’, a combination of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley, thyme, chilli flakes and garlic powder, which work perfectly well if you’re making pizzas with the family.
Should I use salt and pepper on my pizza?
Salt and pepper, while not strictly herbs, season your pizza beautifully, bringing out the flavours of the tomato sauce, cheese and your chosen toppings. And let’s face it, a huge black pepper mill adds some wonderful drama, too, as you serve your perfectly cooked pizza.
What are the weirdest herbs used on pizzas?
If you want drama, you could turn to the weirder pizzas, which call on herbs a million miles from the elegance of oregano and basil.
Hawaiian pizza has the ability to end friendships, but that’s more about the pineapple than the herb choices (which could be oregano, parsley or mixed Italian herbs). But a game changer is the banana and curry pizza – a Swedish favourite. Curry. On a pizza.
If you like salmon on your pizza, then adding dill might not be the weirdest choice, and chilli flakes and parsley complements tuna pizza pretty well. Add harissa for a Moroccan twist or five spice sprinkled over duck and plum could be a dream come true.
What do you think are the best herbs for a pizza – or what is the weirdest pizza you’ve tried? Time to experiment.
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