Why is pinsa becoming increasingly popular with pizza lovers?
Over the past twenty years, a new culinary trend has taken Italian restaurants by storm: pinsa. A variation on the pizza, it features a lighter dough, longer maturation and a mix of flours that give it a texture that's both crisp and airy. Its success is largely due to its dietary arguments: more digestible and lower in calories than traditional pizza, pinsa has won over many diet-conscious fans.
A success story of tradition and modernity
While pinsa now seems ubiquitous on the streets of Rome and beyond, its rise didn't happen overnight. The origins of this specialty date back to the 2000s, when Roman baker Corrado Di Marco perfected an earlier attempt at a "light pizza". By combining wheat, soy and rice flour, he obtained a lighter, more easily digestible dough. His son, Alberto Di Marco, has since taken up the torch and exported pinsa internationally.
With almost 7,000 specialized restaurants, pinsa's popularity is also due to its ease of preparation. Unlike pizzas, which have to be rolled out to order, pinsa dough is often pre-cooked, enabling faster service and optimized kitchen organization.
Cleverly orchestrated marketing
Pinsa's dazzling success is based not only on its gustatory and nutritional qualities. It is also the result of an effective marketing strategy, based on its supposed historical roots. The association of the word "pinsa" with the Latin verb "pinsere" ("to crush") has given rise to a tenacious legend: that of a recipe directly inspired by ancient Rome.
Although this historical connection is unfounded, it has largely contributed to the product's renown, appearing on numerous menus and signs in pinserias. Today, pinsa is seen as a bridge between tradition and modernity, combining rustic aesthetics with contemporary culinary practices. A winning strategy that has propelled this "light pizza" onto the world gastronomic stage, to the point of making it inseparable from the modern Italian culinary identity.
Pizza or pinsa: which to choose?
While pinsa seduces with its lightness and easier digestibility, pizza retains the advantage of a well-established tradition and a wider variety of styles. Neapolitan pizza, with its soft dough and authentic taste, remains a must for purists. Pinsa, on the other hand, attracts those looking for a more easily digestible and quicker-to-prepare alternative. Ultimately, the choice between pizza and pinsa depends on individual preferences. One thing's for sure: these two specialties will continue to coexist and delight food lovers the world over.
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