Indianapolis Monthly

Built to Order

OME PEOPLE take their pizza seriously, and some take their pizza too seriously. The guardians of authentic Neapolitan pizza, for example, insist that the wood-fired pies of Naples begin with a roundish crust 30 to 35 centimeters in diameter with a raised edge that is “swollen and free from burns.” Toppings—tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, and mozzarella—must hail from the local Campania regions, according to the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, which keeps tabs on the brand. I would never turn away a blistered, saucy slice of Italian authenticity, but I feel bad for the duteous Neapolitan, so bound by rules. Because of all the food groups, pizza is the one that seems designed to have the most fun.

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