Argentine pizza

Argentine pizzais a mainstay of thecountry's cuisine,especially of its capitalBuenos Aires, where it is regarded as acultural heritageandiconof the city.Argentina is the country with the mostpizzeriasper inhabitant in the world and, although they are consumed throughout the country, the highest concentration of pizzerias and customers is Buenos Aires, the city with the highest consumption of pizzas in the world (estimated in 2015 to be 14 million per year).As such, the city has been considered as one of the world capitals of pizza.
Pizzawas introduced to Buenos Aires in the late 19th century with the massiveItalian immigration, as part of a broadergreat European immigration wave to the country.Thus, around the same time that the iconicPizza Margheritawas being invented in Italy, pizza were already being cooked in the Argentine capital.The impoverished Italian immigrants that arrived to the city transformed the originally modest dish into a much more hefty meal, motivated by the abundance of food in Argentina.In the 1930s, pizza was cemented as a cultural icon in Buenos Aires, with the new pizzerias becoming a central space for sociability for theworking-classpeople who flocked to the city.
A typical custom is to accompany pizza withfainá, a pancake made fromchickpea flour.
The most characteristic style of Argentine pizza—which almost all the classic pizzerias in Buenos Aires specialize in—is the so-calledpizza al molde(Spanish for 'pizza in the pan'), characterized by having a "thick, spongy base and elevated bready crust".Writing forSaveurin 2016, Allie Lazar defined thepizza al moldestyle:
Another of the most typical styles of pizza in the country is the so-calledpizza a la piedra(piedrameaning 'stone' in Spanish), which began to become popular in the mid-1970s and especially in the 1980s.Unlike thepizza al molde, this pizza is characterized by a thin, crispy and crumb-free crust, and is baked directly on the base of astone ovenand not in a pan (hence its name).According to Lazar:
Most pizza menus include standard flavor combinations, including the traditional plain mozzarella, nicknamedmuzaormusa; thenapolitanaornapo, with "cheese, sliced tomatoes, garlic, dried oregano and a few green olives", not to be confused withNeapolitan pizza;calabresa, with slices oflonganiza;jamon y morrones, with slicedhamand roastedbell peppers;as well as versions withprovolone, withanchovies,withhearts of palm, or with choppedhard boiled egg.
A unique tradition from Buenos Aires is to eat pizza alongsidefainá(known in Italy asfarinata), a bakedpancakemade ofchickpea flour, a custom that also spread toUruguaydue to its close cultural ties to the city.Like pizza,faináwas introduced by Italian immigrants, particularly theGenoesethat settled inLa Boca, and the combination of both dishes probably developed in that working-class neighborhood in the early 20th century.According to Amy Booth ofBBC, the "subtle, creamy texture of thefainásoftens the acidity of the tomato sauce and moderates the greasy tang of the cheese".
Within the category ofpizza al molde,other local creations include the iconicfugazzaand its derivativefugazzetaorfugazza con queso, a terminology that varies depending on the pizzeria.Thefugazza—named afterfugassa, theGenoeseword forfocaccia—is a cheese-less pizza, consisting of a disk of dough topped with onions; while thefugazzetaconsists of two discs of pizza dough with cheese in the middle and onion on top, hence its original namefugazza con queso(lit.'fugazzawith cheese').According to Lazar,fugazzetais afugazzawith "an added mozzarella cheese-bonus on top", while thefugazzeta rellena(stuffedfugazzeta) is "stuffed with an obscene dose ofqueso de barra mozzarellaand covered in sweet, soft onions".
The origin offugazzetais attributed to Juan Banchero, son of Genoese baker Agustín Banchero, who transformed the family business into one of the first pizzerias in the Buenos Aires, Banchero, which is still in operation.According to Legend, Juan Banchero "tried to save [his father's] dry, sub-parfugassa alla genovese(Genoese focaccia) by slicing it down the middle and stuffing it with cheese".Regarding the correct terminology for this creation, researcher Jorge D'Agostini explained: "Strictly speaking, it is afugazzeta, because thefugazzais a disk of dough with onion on top. I think that the confusion or the different ways of calling the pizzas has to do with the changes and transformations that the recipes had here. Banchero added cheese, that's why they called itfugazza con quesowhen what they serve isfugazzeta."Today, this Argentine pizza is regarded as an icon of Buenos Aires andArgentine cuisine.
Another variant of Buenos Aires origin is thepizza de cancha, also known aspizza canchera, belonging of themedia masatype.As it is a cheese-less pizza, it has been described as an "oddball" and a "total anomaly, debunking everything we know to be true about Argentine pizza".Thepizza de canchais "covered in a red sauce and heavily seasoned with garlic, onion, and non-spicy red pepper flakes, similar to what you would find in bakeries acrosssouthern Italy".It was invented by Oscar Vianini, founder of the pizzeria Angelín, one of the oldest traditional pizzerias in Buenos Aires that still operate and an icon of its neighborhood,Villa Crespo.
Born as a cheapstreet food, Viniani sold slices of this pizza on the street outside theAtlanta Club stadiumwhen there was a game, hence its name (canchameaning 'soccer field' or 'stadium' in Argentina).There are other versions that claim that thepizza de canchawas created in another stadium, including the ones belonging toArgentinos JuniorsorBoca Juniors.The pizza was also known aspizza de tacho(Spanish for "bin"), in allusion to the metal container in which they were carried stacked by street vendors.It is typically larger in diameter than other Argentine pizzas, as this originally allowed street vendors to sell more slices.
Other styles of pizza besides the Argentinian have become popular in Buenos Aires, such asNew York-style pizza,Neapolitan pizza(and hybrids of this style with the Argentine one), or grilled pizza (Spanish:pizza a la parrilla).In 2022, Ti Amo, a pizzeria specialized in the Neapolitan style located in the city ofAdrogué,Buenos Aires Province, was chosen as one of the 50 best in the world according to the Italian guide50 Top Pizza, which each year chooses the 100 most outstanding in the sector globally.Ti Amo once again appeared as one of the best pizzerias in the world according to The Best Pizza Awards 2023, with another pizzeria in the country also appearing: Eléctrica, from Buenos Aires, which offers a contemporary style of pizza.
The history of Argentinepizzais strongly linked to the history of the city ofBuenos Aires.The dish was introduced to the country in the late 19th century byItalian immigrants, particularly those ofGenoeseorigin, who arrived to Buenos Aires and mostly settled in the lower-class port neighborhood ofLa Boca.Between the late 19th and the early 20th centuries, Buenos Aires was the site of a broaderEuropean immigration wave, becoming a greatcosmopolitancity and changing the customs of its inhabitants.Around 3 million Italians arrived at theport of Buenos Airesbetween 1870 and 1920, which represents almost two thirds of the total immigration of the period.As a result, Italian immigration radically alteredArgentine culture, especially that of the city, and its influence can be found in aspects such as its language or its cuisine.Pizza as we know it today—with risen dough, tomato sauce and sometimes cheese, since it was very expensive—began to be sold as a lower-classstreet foodinNaplesin the 19th century; the term had been for centuries a generic name in the region for different types of flat doughs with condiments or fillings.There were sweet and savory versions of pizza—as attested by the bookLa scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiar bene(1891) byPellegrino Artusi—although it was the latter that traveled to Argentina and became popular.
It is not known exactly when or how pizza arrived from Naples to Buenos Aires.Writing about the origins of the dish in the Argentine capital, historian Horacio Julio Spinetto notes that the first documented cases involve the Neapolitan immigrant Nicola Vaccarezza—who made the firstfaináof the country in his pizza oven in La Boca in 1882—and Ricardo Ravadero, a Genoese immigrant who dedicated himself to the street sale of pizzas, which he placed stacked inside a metal "bin" that he mounted on wooden trestles.Nevertheless,La Naciónpointed out in 2023 that the Vaccarezza story is not real but actually arose from a fictional story published in the 1990s, and since then has been wrongly cited in books and numerous newspaper articles, which over time changed thefaináof the story for pizza.
La Naciónnoted that, although, "there is no evidence to support [the Vaccarezza] story, neither in thefaináversion nor in the pizza version [...], the initial story is correct in one thing: in Buenos Aires, thefaináwas sold first."By 1893, this dish was sold on the streets of La Boca and in the store of Genoese immigrant Santo Battifora; when Battifora returned to Genoa, he left the business in the hands of his brother-in-law, Antonio Piccardo, better known as "Tuñín", who made it grow and gain recognition under that name.Also in 1893, Genoese immigrant Agustín Banchero opened his bakery in La Boca where, according to legend, he later created the iconicfugazza con queso.In 1896, journalist Marcos Arredondo reported that the street sale offaináin La Boca "was already a classic".Fainálater began to be sold in theMercado del Abastoand in the Paseo de Julio (current Alem avenue).
Since its introduction, pizza grew to become a popular main dish over the years, as evidenced by the inclusion of a  "family pizza" recipe in a 1914 cookbook by Francisco Figueredo.What today is identified as the typical style of Argentine pizza—characterized by a thick crust and a large amount of cheese—arose when impoverished Italian immigrants found a greater abundance of food in then-prosperous Argentina, which motivated them to transform the originally modest dish into a much more hefty meal suitable for amain course.This style is known aspizza de molde(Spanish for 'pizza in the pan'),which emerged because there were no pizza ovens in the city, so bakers resorted to baking them in pans.Since they used bakery plates, Argentine pizzas were initially square or rectangular, a format associated with the 1920s that is still maintained in some classic pizzerias, especially for vegetable pizzas,fugazzetasorfugazzas.
In the 1930s, theGreat Depressioncaused a change in the country'seconomic policy, which turned toimport substitution industrializationto supply the domestic market and generate jobs.The installation of new industries in Buenos Aires reinforced the hegemonic position of the city and caused a flow ofinternal migrationthat replaced the previous European immigration, made up of people from the provinces who joined the city asindustrial workers.As a result, the social composition of the city and itspopular cultureunderwent great changes,which once again impacted the history of Argentine pizza.
The 1930s have been described as a "golden age" of Argentine pizza,as well as the time when the "pizzeriawas born as a gastronomic venue and as an institution".Buenos Aires had a great urban development during the decade, including the widening ofCorrientesavenue in 1936.The avenue entered a period of splendor and was filled with theaters and restaurants, including several notable pizzerias that are still in business today and are considered a classic, such asGüerrín, Las Cuartetas, El Cuartito and Angelín.During this time, pizzerias established themselves as one of the great spaces for sociability of the working classes of the city,and the popular combination of pizza withfaináwas also consolidated, because the Genoese sold it at the exits offootballgames.According to writer Ignacio Xurxo, during the 1930s and 1940s Buenos Aires "became addicted to pizza".
The beginning of this unprecedented pizza boom can begin to be seen in 1931. That year, billboards began to be seen in Tuñín inviting people to trypizza a la napolitana,RCA Victorreleased the single "Fainá y pizza" by the musician Cleto Minocchio, and the category "faináand pizza houses" appeared for the first time in the famousAnuario Kraft, an annual trade and industry guide.There were 11 establishments on the list, 2 of them located in La Boca, 2 inBarracas, 1 inMonserrat, 1 in Congreso, 3 inConstitución, 1 in Abasto and another on the current border betweenBalvaneraandRecoleta.Furthermore, in 1931 a recipe for modern pizza appeared in an Argentine cookbook for the first time: inEl arte culinario. tratado de cocina universal, Carlos Spriano includes the recipe forpizza a la napolitana, with its risen dough, tomato sauce and mozzarella.
In 1932, theAnuario Kraftreveals an abrupt growth in the sector, listing 45 "faináand pizza houses" scattered throughout the city.According toLa Nación, "1932 is also noted as the year of arrival, or at least of the first documented mentions, of some of the current historic pizzerias such as Güerrín, Banchero and Las Cuartetas. In 1934 El Cuartito would be added; in 1935, La Americana; in 1938, Angelín."By the 1940s, it became evident that pizza was a firmly established and perdurable phenomenon in the city.In a 1949 article focused on the sociability of Buenos Aires pizzerias, journalist andcartoonistLuis J. Medrano reflected:
In the mid-1970s and especially in the 1980s, the thinnerpizza a la piedrabecame popular as an alternative to the city's heavy traditional pizza.In 2011,BBC Newsreported that pizzerias were "mounting a strong challenge to be the most popular gastronomic option" in Buenos Aires and "could overtake the amount of steak houses in the next two years".Every year since 2012, a "pizza marathon" called Muza 5K takes place in Buenos Aires, in which the participants visit a series of pizzerias on Avenida Corrientes that serve the typical mozzarellapizza de moldeby the slice and then vote for the best pizza on the circuit.
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