25 November 2025
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Pizza — in all its cheesy, crusty, chewy magnificence — is one of the greatest culinary inventions to come out of Italy.
The once-humble stomach filler for hungry Neapolitan peasants has become the foundation of a multibillion-dollar global industry. Its reach is unmatched, spawning countless regional styles and inventive toppings, served everywhere from neighborhood counters to street corners worldwide.
But whether the preference leans toward deep-dish Chicago-style pizzas or the hearty Sicilian rectangle, the cultural significance of the pies rooted in Naples is unmistakable.
Authentic Neapolitan pizzas are treated as a protected craft, upheld by local pizza associations and the European Union. The skills of a Neapolitan pizzaiolo, or pizza chef, are esteemed enough to appear on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The secret sauce behind Neapolitan pizza
One of the proudest stewards of the Neapolitan pizza tradition is the 154-year-old L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, which opened its first Asian outpost in Singapore just last year. It is currently the only pizzeria listed in the MICHELIN Guide Singapore.
“Neapolitan pizza is not just food in Naples,” says Marcello Mazzotta, co-owner and director of the Singapore restaurant. “It’s emotion, history and a little bit of chaos all rolled into one. It’s something that brings people together, whether you’re eating it on the street, at home or in a pizzeria that’s been around for over a century.”
(©L'antica Pizzeria da Michele)
However, he is also quick to clarify that the Neapolitan pizza loses its unifying power when it comes to deciding who makes it best. He explains, “In Naples, pizza is about pride. Everyone has their favorite pizzeria, and every family has an opinion on the ‘right way’ to do it.”
There is some agreement on the basics. Every good Neapolitan pizza starts as an expression of fresh, local produce and time-honored culinary traditions.
L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele has held this sentiment close to its heart ever since its Naples establishment in 1870 by the Condurro family. Even after expanding across the world, every outlet uses ingredients like Caputo 00 Pizzeria Flour, Armatore Cetara Anchovies and Agerola fior di latte (“flower of milk” mozzarella) imported specially from Southern Italy, as well as cooking their pizzas in a custom-made Italian brick oven.
“Each da Michele restaurant is required to have this particular oven to keep the consistency of taste throughout each outlet,” says Mazzotta. “It makes the crust soft, light and slightly charred around the edges, and the high heat cooks the pizza in less than a minute. It’s a short moment, but in that time, magic happens. You get that perfect combination of chewiness, crispiness and airiness that’s impossible to replicate without an oven like this.”
The colors of Italy in a Margherita
For a pizzeria with as much tradition as L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, it’s only natural for one of its signature pies to be the classic Margherita.
Mazzotta says, “For us Italians, and especially at da Michele, the beauty of the Margherita is in its simplicity. It’s not about doing too much, but it’s about doing the basics perfectly.
“You have the red of the tomato, the white of the mozzarella and the green of the basil — yes, it resembles the flag of Italy, but it’s also the balance of flavors between the ingredients.
“At da Michele, we’ve been using the same Margherita recipe since 1870. No shortcuts, no fancy toppings, just quality ingredients that speak for themselves. It’s a pizza that just needs one bite to tell you everything you need to know about Naples.”
- Use good flour. Caputo flour is your best friend and will give you a smooth, elastic dough.
- Give the dough time. Let it rest and ferment for at least 24 hours. Patience makes a big difference in flavor.
- High heat is everything. If you don’t have a pizza oven, use a pizza stone or even a cast iron pan, and get it as hot as your oven allows.
“If you can’t find Italian mozzarella or San Marzano tomatoes, don’t panic,” Mazzotta adds. “Just use the best quality you can find locally. The love you put into the dish will always make the biggest difference.”
Above all, he advises home cooks to find their fun with pizza — though even he has his limits.
“Pineapple will never go on a da Michele pizza,” he says, when asked about the Singaporean love for Hawaiian pizzas. “We stay true to tradition, and our pizza recipes are sacred. That’s how it’s been for over 150 years and I believe some things shouldn’t be changed.
(©L'antica Pizzeria da Michele)
L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele’s Margherita pizza recipe
Ingredients:
- 500g Caputo “00” Flour
- 300ml cold water
- 15g fine sea salt
- 0.75–1g fresh yeast (or about 0.3g dry yeast)
- 250g San Marzano tomatoes (or good quality canned tomatoes)
- 150g mozzarella (ideally buffalo, but cow’s milk is fine)
- Fresh basil leaves
Method:
- Dissolve the yeast in part of the water.
- Add the flour gradually while mixing by hand or with a slow spiral mixer.
- Once the dough starts to form, add the salt, dissolved in a little of the remaining
water. - Knead for 20–25 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic and slightly cool to the
touch (final dough temperature 24–25°C). - Cover and rest the dough for about 2 hours at room temperature.
- Divide into dough balls.
- Cold ferment (in the fridge at 5–8°C) for 8–12 hours, then allow 6 hours at room
temperature before stretching
Preparing the pizza:
- Shape into a round base. Don’t use a rolling pin, just stretch it gently by hand.
- Top with tomato, mozzarella, basil and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Bake on a preheated pizza stone or in a very hot oven (250–270°C) for 7–8 minutes,
until bubbly and lightly charred.
