[Pizza Pascalina made by legendary Neapolitan pizza chef Gino Sorbillo. Photo credit: scattidigusto.com.]
Pizza is often considered junk food, especially outside of 天美传媒, where it鈥檚 made using a high amount of refined carbohydrates and fats, while being scarce in vegetables and fiber, and often associated with other unhealthy foods and the consumption of sugary drinks.
However, pizza, a typical dish of the much-praised Mediterranean diet, can be quite healthy, if made using the typical ingredients for Neapolitan pizza, and consumed as one complete meal.
The Naples-based National Cancer Institute Fondazione G. Pascale has devised a pizza that is meant to promote awareness of the importance of a healthy diet to combat illnesses that are typical of developed countries, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
It鈥檚 called Pizza Pascalina, and it鈥檚 made with:
- Type 1 wheat flour (unrefined, rich in fiber)
- Friarielli (turnip tops) from Campania (the southern Italian region where Naples is located), or other type of broccoli
- San Marzano or Corbara tomatoes
- Extra virgin olive oil from Cilento (area of Campania)
- Black olives from Campania
- Nuts
- Garlic and hot pepper
- Mother yeast or brewer鈥檚 yeast (as per Neapolitan pizza recipe)
(Cook at 450 degrees for 60 seconds in a wooden oven)
Numerous studies have shown that an incorrect diet may contribute to the onset of several types of cancer. On the other hand, a diet rich in fiber, legumes, vegetables, whole grains, fruit, almonds and walnuts, with low glycemic index, and a limited use of animal products, has a protective function, especially when associated with regular physical activity.
All the ingredients contained in the pizza Pascalina have anti-oxidant and anti-tumoral properties. Tomatoes for example are rich in carotenoids called lycopenes which have antioxidant properties. Broccoli have anticancer properties; extra virgin olive oil and whole grains have been shown to protect against the risk of developing tumors. Pizza Pascalina contains 15 grams of fiber, and is rich in mono- and poly-unsaturated fats.
Therefore, says the Pascale Institute, pizza Pascalina can be consumed as a main meal twice a week.
The combination of ingredients makes it a delicious pizza too, with a good match between broccoli and tomatoes, a pleasant crunch provided by nuts, and a pungent taste thanks to garlic and red pepper.
What鈥檚 even better is that for every Pascalina you order, 1 euro will be allocated to cancer research.
Here鈥檚 where you can .
There鈥檚 one pizzeria in New York that offers pizza Pascalina, Kest茅. Read our interview with Kest猫 executive pizza chef Giorgia Caporuscio here.
