Pizza fritta, which translates to “fried pizza,” comes in both sweet and savory forms. Birthed in Naples, where it was easier to cook with oil than with a wood-fired oven, it’s still particularly popular. The consistency is similar to donuts on the outside, which is why many Italian restaurants, including 3 Sons Italian, serve it as a sweet dessert. At 3 Sons Italian, we serve this deep-fried sweet-dough pizza with vanilla ice cream and top it with caramel drizzle.
So how did pizza fritta come to be? According to Roads & Kingdoms, its origins stretch back to the 16th century. The story goes that the wives of Neapolitan piemen would fry the leftover scraps of dough that their husbands weren’t using and sell them to people on the street.
Other cities in Italy have their own version of pizza fritta, and other countries, such as India and Scotland, have similar versions of fried dough.
In addition to sweet vs. savory flavors, there are two styles of pizza fritta. The older version involves taking two flat pieces of dough, filling them, and deep-frying the whole thing. It’s similar to a calzone, but more often takes the form of a disc shape rather than a half-moon shape. The second version is essentially a deep-fried crust that puffs up to serve as a pillowy base for pizza toppings. This version has gained popularity in New York recently and is often called “pizza montanara.”
We encourage you to stop by 3 Sons Italian in Arvada to taste true Italian cuisine. In addition to our regular menu, we offer rotating specials, as well as live entertainment and fundraisers for the community.
- Enter our monthly contest for a chance to win a free bottle of wine or 10% off your check. Just leave a review on our Facebook page (Under “Recommendations and Reviews”) and we’ll choose one winner each month!
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Buon Appetito!
3 Sons Italian Restaurant & Bar
14805 West 64th Ave., Arvada
303-455-4366
www.3sonsitalian.com
