Why Your Pizza Pie Comes Unsliced When Dining In Italy - Mashed (2024)

FAQs

Why Your Pizza Pie Comes Unsliced When Dining In Italy - Mashed? ›

For the most part, Italians like their pizza served in full circular pies so they can cut each piece personally. Keeping it whole achieves a much more appealing look, and the pie doesn't cool off as quickly when it remains intact.

It being cut into slices just makes the whole event easier - you can comfortably share, no need to use utensils and you can even eat it with your hands. Job done. However, in Italy, and by extension restaurants that maintain the same attitude, the pizza is served whole for a much more appealing look.

The traditional way to eat uncut pizza in Italy is to use a knife and fork. Italians typically do not eat pizza with their hands, especially when it is served as a whole pie rather than individual slices.

Don't request a slice of pizza. In Italy, unless sold on the street or “al taglio” (sold in rectangular or square slices by weight), it's always round and served on a plate. 2. You cut the pizza yourself and then eat it with a knife and fork, the most common way, or fold each slice and eat it with your hands.

In Italy, when you order a full pizza, why does it come unsliced? A full pizza, unsliced, is much better than sliced. I explain you why: It remains warmer & tasteful (very useful if it's a delivery, and is a pro anyway because the warmer, the better - I hate cold pizza )

It's not considered at all rude to leave your pizza crusts in Italy.

Italians use only fresh crushed tomatoes to make the sauce for their pizza. They only add salt, garlic, and olive oil to the sauce and do not cook the sauce at all. There are hardly any other spices added to the sauce.

Pick up the next slice, and repeat with the remaining pizza. Remember, real Italians eat the entire pizza napoletana.

(Although any real Italian pizza should always be cooked in a wood-fired oven; in fact, a pizzeria without one can't even, legally, call itself a pizzeria!). That world-famous pizza in Naples is known as “pizza alta” (thick crust), while pizza in Rome is traditionally thin-crust and crisp.

Most Italians really appreciate and eat the whole pizza edge crust ("cornicione" in italian) of their pizza, although it is not uncommon to see someone who does not eat it and leaves it as a leftover on the plate, especially not to eat too many carbs.

Is it rude to leave food on your plate in Italy? ›

And don't worry – it's not considered rude if you don't completely clear your plate. If you eat all your food while dining in Italy, it's a sign that you want more food, while if you're full and leave a bite of food on your plate, this lets the waitstaff know that you don't want more.

First off, tipping in Italy is neither mandatory nor expected, but if you do decide to do so, the gesture is a very clear indicator that you appreciated the service provided.

The top 3 of the most ordered pizzas in Southern Italy is: Bufalina, the margherita with buffalo mozzarella; Marinara pizza (tomato and oregano); Tuna and onion pizza.

In theory, official galateo (etiquette) rules dictate that pizza should always be eaten with fork and knife only, except when it's “pizza al taglio”, i.e. “by the slice”, which is meant as street food and can be eaten directly with hands.

Meats on pizza are pretty rare in Italy. Definitely, you will never find chicken pizza. On the other hand, cured meats such as prosciutto crudo, speck, prosciutto cotto, salami, mortadella, etc.

An uncut pie ensures that the distribution of toppings remains intact and consistent. Customization is another compelling reason to opt for an uncut pizza. You get the flexibility of cutting the slices according to your preferred size and shape.

From what I gathered, Italians are not very used to cooking chicken in general. There are plenty of chicken dishes, but the chicken is usually the main dish, not an ingredient in pizza and pasta. Mostly because chicken meat isn't very good to make pasta sauces. Other parts of chicken (liver) are used for this reason.

Because of this, there might be a few tiny exceptions to the rule, but eating pizza with a fork and knife in a restaurant is acceptable. The first step is to thinly slice the pizza and arrange it on the plate. Care must be made to avoid spilling topping while biting into a pizza that has been heavily topped.

Unlike what American culture has taught us about pizza, Italian pizza is served as a whole pie. You will order a pizza by the whole, sit with your family, and share pieces of each style. Each Italian family offers their own twist to the whole pie pizza. But you won't be getting a single slice.