Napoli LOVES Breaking Records
If you don't Instagram story yourself breaking a record then did it really happen? Of course not, no way. So thank God Antimo Caputo, Salvatore Lioniello and Toto Sorbillo documented themselves setting the Guinness World Record for longest pizza fritta and I was able to follow along!
Depending where you're from you might call it a panzerotti, but a pizza fritta (fried pizza) is basically made just like a Neapolitan pizza, but then folded over, very tightly sealed, and then deep fried. It lends itself perfectly to a handheld street food:
PIZZA FRITTA BY @SORBILLO
So these Neapolitan guys LOVE breaking records, and they're good at it. Recall in 2016 when they broke the Guinness World Record for longest pizza with one over 6,000 feet. We smashed that record last year, but that's a story for a different time. Right now we're recognizing these pizzaioli for another impressive feat because it's not easy breaking records. These things require a lot of planning and coordination to build the right equipment (I doubt anyone had a 30 foot deep fryer just laying around in their garage), make an edible and pleasing product, and appease the Guinness judges. It then takes a team of enthusiastic people, lots of product, and great sponsors.
DOUGH PREP - @ANTIMOCAPUTO
I have no clue what the previous record for longest pizza fritta was, or if there even was one, but it looks like this bad boy was roughly 7.5 meters (~25 feet) long and 50 centimeters (1.6 feet) wide. BIG!
And they didn't skimp on the toppings either. As you would expect, they stayed true to traditional Neapolitan pizza fritta and filled it with ricotta, cicoli (fatty pieces of pork), some tomato sauce, basil, and black pepper.
RICOTTA - @LIONIELLOSALVATORE
CICOLI - @LIONIELLOSALVATORE
LOOKS LIKE IT'S READY TO BE SEALED - @TOTO_SORBILLO
Once they filled it up and sealed it tight, they lowered it into the huge deep fryer with some kid of chain/pulley system. Not sure how long it stayed in there, but it came out beautiful, uniform, and golden.
THE FRITTA PART - @ANTIMOCAPUTO
MIND IF I LAY DOWN? - @ANTIMOCAPUTO
I love these things. They're a little gimmicky, but I don't care. It's another way to display the FORZA of the pizza community and another excuse to get together and do something awesome. Hopefully this triggers another one here in the USA real soon! I doubt we'll go for this record though; pizza fritta really isn't our thing over here... unfortunately... and I think I would cringe as soon as people start saying "so you made the world's biggest hot pocket? A pizza puff?"
Congratulations to the new world record holders. Job well done! FORZA RAGAZZI E FORZA NAPOLI!
