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I love hanging around in Rome. In particular, the city street food scene in Rome is just fantastic and memorable. As a passionate food and Artisanal beer lover, I often stop by pizzeria, bakeries, food courts and other small food stores, to quench my starving for the temptingly scented food preparations that can be found everywhere in the capital.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Simply follow the temptation for the most famous and enjoyable street food in Rome you can imagine: Pizza e Mortazza.
You will find it everywhere. Simply get into one of the many Pizzeria al taglio (serving pizza cuts ready to go) or Bakeries and just buy a slice of this delicious filled Pizza.
Back in the days, when I was a young child, my mom treated me with Pizza e Mortazza as a mid-morning snack, while doing the morning grocery shopping.
As a teenager, I enjoyed it as a school break snack, while (some) teachers and classmates were smoking cigarettes outside the class.
To this day I have not lost the joy of enjoying the authentic Pizza e Mortazza as quick and delicious lunch break or as part of the Aperitivo, in the “triangolini” classical cut, in the shape of small triangular pieces.
But what is Pizza e Mortazza ? It is a white pizza, Pizza Bianca Romana, simply the best, with no sauce, cut-cross and filled with Mortadella (Mortazza, in Roman dialect), a pork base cured meat prepared with the best pork meat cuts. For refinement the cured meat is seasoned either with black pepper grains or Pistachios.
Romans enjoy Pizza e Mortazza by voicing a few words of appreciation just before the first bite: “E’ la morte sua”.
This form of expression is an appreciation wholeheartedly, with all taste senses, praising the deliciousness of the dish.
Since engaging in this ritual, I personally find that the pizza tastes even better when I whisper this phrase.
When you buy Pizza e Mortazza in Pizzeria, bakeries or in grocery shops, ask to warm it in oven for a few minutes. This will allow the Pizza to become crunchier and the Mortadella to release the fragrance at its best.
Pilsner, IPA, amber or weizen, which artisanal beer better pairs with this Pizza? Beer degustation or not, Pizza and beer is a classic pairing in Italy.
Back in the days, Italian Pizzeria were serving only beer as alcoholic beverage, due to heavy alcohol tax on wine. Pizzeria were popular and affordable places, and the effort was therefore to keep the prices affordable.
This is the reason why wine was not served, and beer was the only alcoholic drink available. As Italians have become accustomed to enjoying beer with pizza, this has now established itself as the preferred combination that a “real” Italian must have.
My recommendation for the best pairing is to enjoy a Pilsner with Pizza e Mortazza, with Mortazza seasoned with only Pistachio inside. Amber ale, or pale ale preferably with a good hop touch would be the most recommended beer option when the Mortadella ist seasoned with black pepper.
Without doubts my recommendation is to enjoy artisanal beers with Pizza e Mortazza just because they develop a more distinctive flavor. As the beer slowly warms up in the glass, all the beer aromas develop with a clear expression and are released beautifully. Fermento Golden Breeze and Amber Ale are definitely my suggestions for this pairing and enjoyable taste experience.
Pizza e Mortazza
Pizza snack
Hot
Golden Breeze, Amber ale
Pilsner, Amber or Pale Ale
6 degrees (Pilsner). 10 degrees (Amber)
Type of beer pairing: effervescent beer to balance greasiness
Malty aroma of the Pilsner to balance the mortadella pistachio
Hoppy aroma of the Amber Ale or Pale Ale, to balance aroma from Mortadella black pepper
Even if you can’t be in Rome, why not just try to create this unique atmosphere at home. Buy good IGP mortadella! Buy some focaccia or ciabatta if Roman pizza bianca is not available!
Imagine for a moment that you are sitting in one of the most beautiful Roman gardens, perhaps under a large pine tree or even in front of the Colosseum, with your glass of craft beer and a warm pizza.
Whisper the Roman sentence “E’ la morte sua” and take a sip of beer, bite into your pizza and just enjoy the moment. Welcome to Rome!
If you enjoyed the blog, please let me know in the comments. Any comment is greatly appreciated.