Pizza Romana style

The Pizza Romana style is a thin crust pizza with a consistently crunchy texture. The ingredients are spread all the way to the edge, and the pizza should be about 30 centimetres in diameter with no visible traces of flour on the edge or the base.

Pizza Romana

The various styles of pizza from Rome can be quite distinct and unique, making it important for people to understand the differences. In Rome you have the teglia romana, pala romana, pizza romana, pinsa romana… A Teglia Romana is a deep dish pizza baked in rectangular trays, while a Pizza Romana is a thin-crust pizza with a crispy texture. It’s easy for people to get confused when talking about the pizzas in Rome.

Pizza Romana style VS Neapolitan

The appearance

The appearance of the Pizza Romana style and Neapolitan style are quite different. The Pizza Romana has a thin, crispy crust with toppings spread to the edge, while the Neapolitan has a thicker, softer crust with a slightly raised edge called the Cornicione.
This is why the Pizza Romana style is sometimes referred to as “pizza bassa,” or low pizza, while the Neapolitan style is referred to as “pizza alta,” or high pizza. The two styles have their own unique characteristics and are both beloved by pizza lovers around the world

The Cornicione

The cornicione, or the outer crust, of Neapolitan pizza is known for being soft, chewy, and relatively thick. It’s meant to be folded and used as a handle while eating the pizza. On the other hand, the cornicione of Pizza Romana is very thin and crispy, almost cracker-like in texture, and it doesn’t have much height.

The dough

Pizza Romana dough contains oil and is lighter in weight than Neapolitan dough.

The baking

Neapolitan and Romana pizzas are cooked in a wood-fired oven, and both have a lightly charred crust. However, they differ in cooking time: Neapolitan takes around 90 seconds, while Pizza Romana takes up to 5 minutes due to the lower oven temperature of around 350°C/662°F. The longer cooking time gives the Romana crust a dry, crispy texture.

Stretching technique

The Pizza Romana dough is stretched with a rolling pin, allowing the chef to create a paper-thin layer.