Criniti's restaurant was recently accredited as an official member of the F.I.C - Federazione Italiana Pizzaioli Nel Mondo (Federation of Pizza Chefs in the World). The F.I.C is the most important and world-widely recognised Italian Federation officially authorised by the Italian Government to accredit Pizza Chefs with a master's diploma in the culinary art of pizza making. The President and Chairman of the F.I.C himself Giuseppe Santoro was invited to visit the premises and personally supervise Criniti's Pizza Chefs throughout the 10 day induction course. Criniti's was honoured to receive the first certificate of accreditation by the F.I.C in Australia. The certificate is awarded in recognition for both traditional cooking methods and authenticity of ingredients used. Lessons in traditional pizza making techniques and the history of pizza make up part of the accreditation course.

The word "pizza" is thought to have come from the Latin word pinsa, meaning flatbread (although there is much debate about the origin of the word). A legend suggests that Roman soldiers gained a taste for Jewish Matzoth while stationed in Roman occupied Palestine and developed a similar food after returning home. However a recent archeological discovery has found a preserved Bronze Age pizza in the Veneto region. By the Middle Ages these early pizzas started to take on a more modern look and taste. The peasantry of the time used what few ingredients they could get their hands on to produce the modern pizza dough and topped it with olive oil and herbs. The introduction of the Indian Water Buffalo gave pizza another dimension with the production of mozzarella cheese. Even today, the use of fresh mozzarella made from buffalo milk in Italian pizza cannot be substituted. While other cheeses have made their way onto pizza, no real Italian Pizza restaurant would ever use the dried shredded type used on so many pizzas today.

The introduction of tomatoes to Italian cuisine in the 18th and early 19th centuries finally gave us the true modern Italian pizza. Even though tomatoes reached Italy by the 1530's it was widely thought that they were poisonous and were grown only for decoration. However the innovative (and probably starving) peasants of Naples started using the supposedly deadly fruit in many of their foods, including their early pizzas. Since that fateful day the world of Italian cuisine would never be the same, however it took some time for the rest of society to accept this crude peasant food. Once members of the local aristocracy tried pizza they couldn't get enough of it, which by this time was being sold on the streets of Naples for every meal. As pizza popularity increased, street vendors gave way to actual shops where people could order a custom pizza with many different toppings. By 1830 the "Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba" of Naples had become the first true pizzeria and this venerable institution is still producing masterpieces today.

The popular pizza Margherita owes its name to Italy's Queen Margherita who in 1889 visited the Pizzeria Brandi in Naples. The Pizzaioli (pizza chefs) on duty that day, Rafaele Esposito created a pizza for the Queen that contained the three colors of the Italian flag. The red of tomato, white of the mozzarella and fresh green basil was a hit with the Queen and the rest of the world. Neapolitan style pizza had now spread throughout Italy and each region started designing their own versions based on the Italian culinary rule of fresh, local ingredients.

One thing to keep in mind when ordering pizza in an Italian pizzeria is that the product is personal size. Each person at a table should order their own individual pizza - one bite will explain why. In the end there is no going back once you try a real Italian pizza, no home delivery or frozen product will ever stimulate your taste buds the way a real pizza will.

Visit Crinitis to discover the authentic taste of authentic Italian Pizza.