"This recognition not only celebrates the local gastronomic culture, but also represents a guarantee for consumers that they will be able to taste the real Panuozzo di Gragnano, prepared according to the rules of a tradition handed down for generations."
On the cover the panuozzo of Da Franco in Sorrento
The product
Made directly with pizza dough, baked in the oven as per tradition and generously stuffed to enhance its XXL size even more: the panuozzo is among Italy's greediest sandwiches, a symbol of a popular use that has spread its fame from Gragnano to the entire globe.
Its special features? Double passing the heat, before and after the filling is inserted, so that the bread adheres well to the topping (often composed of mozzarella, vegetables and sausage, anchovies, provola and/or pancetta from the Monti Lattari in the local version). The good news is that, as of today, this characteristic Neapolitan dish will be able to boast an authentic official label. As reported by Ansa, in fact, on December 12, at the municipal library of Gragnano, the official recognition of Panuozzo took place in the presence of Arpaia (Ass.Pizza e Panuozzo di Gragnano).
It was the Italian Ministry of Business and Made in Italy, through the Italian Patent and Trademark Office, that granted the registration of the trademark "Panuozzo di Gragnano," so that it will be possible from now on to "defend against imitations" by those who do not follow the historic procedure for making it. This is an “important milestone for the protection of an excellence that is all ours,” commented Mayor Nello D'Auria, referring to the rules imposed by the specification.
"This recognition not only celebrates the local gastronomic culture, but also represents a guarantee for consumers who will be able to taste the real Panuozzo di Gragnano, prepared according to the rules of a tradition handed down for generations. A job that protects us from all potential counterfeits that could mislead consumers about the origin and quality of Panuozzo di Gragnano,” specifies Panuozzo di Gragnano Pizza and Panuozzo Association President Camillo Arpaia.
But who was it who created this goodness, which is particularly appreciated even by foreign audiences? The creator answers to the name of Giuseppe Mascolo, a pizzaiolo from Gragnano who precisely in 1983 gave birth to the sandwich in order to propose a different dish from the round-but equally nutritious-to his children. To the latter, however, we owe the invention of the cute name. The reduced-format panuozzo is called “saltimbocca” and caught on mainly in Naples. To taste the original we recommend Fratelli Mascolo in Gragnano, but also Da Franco in Sorrento, which specializes in saltimbocca (called “saltichef”).
