Calzone: The First Known Recipe (Naples, 1850s)
The calzone was born in Naples as a pizza you could carry and eat on the move. Its name means “trouser leg” or “stocking” in Italian, a joke about its shape…
- CuisineItalian
- Prep3 h
- Cook15 min
- Total3 h 15 min
- Makes2 servings
Calzone: The First Known Recipe (Naples, 1850s)
1. Make the dough: Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water. Mix in the flour, then the salt, and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and leave to rise for 2–3 hours, until doubled.
2. Shape the balls: Divide the dough into 2 balls, cover and let them rest for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, tear the mozzarella and leave it to drain in a sieve.
3. Heat the oven: Heat the oven as hot as it goes (250–275 °C) with a baking stone or heavy tray inside for at least 30 minutes.
4. Fill: Stretch each ball by hand into a disc about 25 cm wide. Spread the lard over one half, leaving a 2 cm border, then add the grated cheese, mozzarella, ham, torn basil and a little black pepper (and the tomato slices, if using).
5. Fold and seal: Fold the dough over itself into a half-moon, exactly as the 1850s description says, press the edges together firmly and crimp them. Brush the top with a little lard or olive oil and cut a small slit for the steam.
6. Bake: Slide onto the hot stone or tray and bake for 12–15 minutes, until puffed and golden (only 3–4 minutes in a wood-fired oven). Rest for 3 minutes before cutting, the filling is very hot.
Calzone, the folded pizza of Naples
History & OriginsThe calzone was born in Naples as a pizza you could carry and eat on the move. Its name means “trouser leg” or “stocking” in Italian, a joke about its shape: a disc of dough folded over and stuffed like a pocket.
Its first known written description comes from the mid-1800s, in Francesco de Bourcard’s Usi e costumi di Napoli (“Customs and Traditions of Naples”), a portrait of everyday life in the city. Describing the pizzas sold on the street, it lists the toppings of the day: garlic and oil, grated cheese with lard and basil, slices of mozzarella, sliced ham, tomatoes, small fish and clams. Then it adds: “Sometimes the dough is folded over itself, forming what is called a calzone.”
No quantities were written down, because every pizzaiolo knew them by heart. This recipe follows the ingredients named in that description: lard, grated cheese, basil, mozzarella and ham, sealed inside a simple bread dough and baked very hot. Today’s calzoni often add ricotta and salami; this one stays with what the 1850s text names.
Calzone, the folded pizza of Naples
The story behind the dishThe calzone was born in Naples as a pizza you could carry and eat on the move. Its name means “trouser leg” or “stocking” in Italian, a joke about its shape: a disc of dough folded over and stuffed like a pocket.
Its first known written description comes from the mid-1800s, in Francesco de Bourcard’s Usi e costumi di Napoli (“Customs and Traditions of Naples”), a portrait of everyday life in the city. Describing the pizzas sold on the street, it lists the toppings of the day: garlic and oil, grated cheese with lard and basil, slices of mozzarella, sliced ham, tomatoes, small fish and clams. Then it adds: “Sometimes the dough is folded over itself, forming what is called a calzone.”
No quantities were written down, because every pizzaiolo knew them by heart. This recipe follows the ingredients named in that description: lard, grated cheese, basil, mozzarella and ham, sealed inside a simple bread dough and baked very hot. Today’s calzoni often add ricotta and salami; this one stays with what the 1850s text names.
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