Italian pizza gourmands are debating over whether a machine-made pizza, such as those made by a newly-opened vending machine in Rome, can even be considered as pizza.
WHAT does, and does NOT, constitute a pizza?
That’s the debate sparked by a pizza vending machine called Mr. Go Pizza that recently opened in Rome.
Mr. Go Pizza (Pizza vending machine) photo from italy24news.com
As pizza was invented in Italy, such a topic will ensue in a hot argument among “purists,” and when the pizza vending machine opened, it was met with both curiosity and horror among locals.
Customers can choose from four kinds of pizza which costs around 4.50 to 6 euros (P261.54 to P348.72).
The machine kneads the dough and puts the toppings behind a small glass window.
Since its launch, Italian reviews have varied from “acceptable”, “it’s not pizza”, to “I wouldn’t even think of it.”
For purists, the pizza experience includes watching a “pizzaiolo” (pizza maker) kneading and tossing the dough before cooking it in a wood-burning brick oven.
This may be a first in Rome, but pizza vending machines have been introduced in other parts of the world a long time ago, with great reviews.
In Japan, known for their varied and creative vending machines, a pizza vending machine was introduced in 2018 to cater to customers 24/7 with two flavors: margherita and four cheese.
The machine in Japan was actually in partnership with another pizza vending machine company from Italy, Let’s Pizza, that started its operations back in 2009.
Claudio Torghele invented the machine to serve fresh pizza from flour and water and ends with an infrared oven that baked the pie in a minute.
However, even he admits that the machine could not compete with the traditional pizzeria saying that he still frequents a pizzeria with his family.
“But if I’m in the office and there’s a machine in front of me, and I’m hungry, I can just push a button and take a pizza,” Torghele says.
With the pandemic shutting down restaurants and the quarantine limiting dine-in customers, perhaps a pizza vending machine is no longer an unwelcome idea. (HD)
Tags: #food, #cuisine, #pizza, #Italy, #vendingmachines