MANILA, Philippines — World Pizza Day is observed every January 17, and with its annual commemoration comes the annual question: what pizza should people get?
Many arguments are there to be made about toppings, sauces and cooking styles, each as valid as the next.
In a question-and-answer exchange with Philstar.com, Sicilian Roast executive chef Matthew Navarro acknowledges that people can tell if a pizza tastes good but struggle to explain how.
For him, it's all about the basics, "The crust has to feel right when you pick it up. The sauce shouldn’t overpower the bite. The cheese should pull everything together."
No toppings can salvage the three if any of them are off, the chef adds as he also says the craving for one more slice is another indicator.
Navarro explained the crust "feeling right" goes to how a slice is held. The ideal slice of pizza should bend naturally, not crack, droop, or collapse.
Too much sauce can also ruin pizza as it could turn the center heavy and wet. On the flipside, not enough sauce could leave the pizza dry.
"The goal is that it supports the slice. It's there to make the flavors make sense, not to be the only thing you taste," Navarro said.
The chef also talked about the cheese needing to have the right melt and balance, so that there's no other thoughts but to eat.
"If it's too much or it breaks, it gets greasy and everything feels heavy. If it's too little or it doesn't melt properly, the slice feels disconnected," he explained.
Navarro believes the discourse for what makes a pizza good won't end just yet, especially given the many ways pizza is made or eaten.
"Utensils or fold, square or round, rolling pin or hand stretched... It gets intense because people don't defend their argument when it comes to pizza debates," the chef ended by noting people often defend the memory they have of their favorite pizza instead.