President Antonio Pace talks about the Verace
Interview with Antonio Pace – President AVPN, Association Verace Pizza Napoletana
President, tell us, how was AVPN born?
July 3, 1984, Naples: when it all began. Seventeen master pizza makers, among the most important of the time, give birth to the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association by registering the “Production Regulations of the True Neapolitan Pizza” with the desire to protect this product of excellence and stem the misuse of the name Neapolitan pizza.
The importance of flour in making a good pizza. What are the characteristics that your professional pizza makers look for in a flour?
Along with the oven, flour is definitely the most important element in the making of Neapolitan pizza. Since the birth of the Association, it has been essential to compare with the university world, which has helped us understand the right characteristics required of the flour to give rise to the type of dough and the type of leavening that today are codified in the AVPN specification.
Our pizza makers today require flours that perform perfectly in terms of leavening time and have the right elasticity for the dexterity required by Neapolitan pizza.
What does it mean for AVPN to “approve a flour” as it was for our Smorfia 100% from Italian grains?
In order for a flour to be approved by our Association and consequently enter what we call the “Register of Official Suppliers of True Neapolitan Pizza,” it needs to follow a rigorous process. First of all it is tested by the University of Naples Federico II on specific qualitative and quantitative parameters, then it is evaluated by our instructors with respect to the compliance that we define as “practical” of the product with respect to the International Disciplinary of True Neapolitan Pizza. Smorfia, since the preliminary tests, has responded very well to the various tests provided in terms of leavening and proper water absorption.
What markets do you see growing?
Today we are present in 58 countries with more than 1100 affiliates. Lately we are noticing a growing interest in Neapolitan pizza from Latin American countries, from Canada, and from all over the Asian world.
Which markets, or rather in which regions of the world are Neapolitan pizza verace enthusiasts placed?
Besides our country of origin we can place four countries on the podium. On the top step is the USA followed immediately by Japan and tied with Brazil and Poland.
What are the association’s current challenges in Italy and around the world?
It is important to remember that the mission of the association is to protect the True Neapolitan Pizza produced and processed according to ancient Neapolitan traditions and customs. Today the AVPN is working on three main fronts and has new projects in the pipeline to be implemented in the coming years:
– Spreading the Culture of True Neapolitan Pizza to younger, those who will write the future of pizza, the future pizza makers and fans of the years to come. A first milestone has been reached with the publication of the first pop-up book on pizza in Italian, English and French, a project realized through collaboration with the publishing house NuiNui;
– The Pizza-Wine Pairing. This project was launched in collaboration with AIS Campania in Umbria in March at the national meeting with Brand Ambassadors and confirmed in July in Naples on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Association. We will present the project to the general public in 2025 and provide affiliated (and non-affiliated) pizza makers with the first manual for proper pizza and wine pairing;
– Disseminate the right concept of Verace Pizza Napoletana in Latin America. In the coming months, the AVPN Delegation in South America-the second after the one established in Brazil several years ago-will be presented.
How important is tradition in the world of pizza?
Verace is the starting point for many pizza makers and enthusiasts. Today we notice that so many are trying to twist the roots in order to have similar products … and our question arises: Why change the origins, twist the processes and prolong the time? Verace requires overall times ranging from 12 to 24 hours. Our job is to respect tradition.
Pictured from left: Gianluca Liccardo Marketing Director AVPN, Alberto Naldoni Managing Director Molino Naldoni, Stefano Auricchio General Manager AVPN, with the plaque of the Better Future Award at TUTTOFOOD 2023 won by Smorfia, Tammaro Landolfo Marketing AVPN, Vania Chiozzini Export Sales Manager, Molino Naldoni.
Insight: “Molino Naldoni with Smorfia wins Better Future Award 2023” Go to article (IT/EN)