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Informative Articles
Do you have a sweet tooth? Do you crave sweet desserts? Have you ever felt like a sugar addict? Most desserts are packed full of sugar, and yet there is plenty of evidence that sugary desserts are not healthy foods. You may decide to cut your...
Barbequing, a Fun and Convenient Way to Make Dinner
"There’s nothing more enjoyable than having friends and family gathered around amidst the wonderful smells of charcoal-grilled prawns, vegetables and selected favorites. Barbecuing is one of those time- honored rituals that go hand in hand with...
Grandma Hystad's Recipes, Cooking, Cleaning, Tips, Bar Mixes
To save space on your computer, make a few files and name them Recipes, Cooking Tips, Cleaning Tips, Bar mixes. You can then copy and paste only articles you would like to save. GANDMA'S WRAPPED TURKEY TURKEY ROASTING TIME AUNT PAT'S...
Grigio or gris, this is a great white wine
One of the most popular imported wine styles in America is Pinot grigio. Nearly all of the Pinot grigio consumed in the US comes from Italy, but as we shall see this is likely to change soon. Pinot grigio is very popular with consumers, but it...
How To Make Sure You are Buying The Best Prime Rib
Six Ways to Make Sure you are Buying the Best Prime Rib Available The best grade of rib or any type of beef is of course prime grade. The problem comes in when trying to buy prime grade beef, there is only 20 percent of prime grade beef in...
Wood-fired brick ovens and pizza have been with us since the dawn of civilization. Both have been discovered in the excavations of virtually every ancient civilization, with the brick oven reaching its modern form in ancient Rome. The brick ovens uncovered in ancient Pompeii are in wonderful shape, and could start baking today with only minor renovations. The shops themselves resembled modern pizzerias, with granite counters, and a salad bar featuring both hot and cold foods and drinks to accompany the pizza. It makes you think there is little new under the sun.
Medieval brick ovens can be found throughout Europe, often with little variation from the original Roman round, domed oven chamber and front vent design. In northern Europe the ovens tended to be larger and the properly of the local Lord -- who owned both the oven and the heat inside it, and would charge the serfs for baking their bread. In Italy, where the feudal system took a less firm grip, the ovens tended to be owned by individual families and were smaller -- which is the foundation for Italy's modern pizza oven industry. Round ovens built from brick, and even local stone, have been built in Italy seemingly forever. Virtually every Tuscan farmhouse has, or had, an original brick or stone oven.
The different cooking requirements between a commercial bakery and pizzeria or homeowner created a split in brick oven design in the 18th century. The French, or Scottish, oven, features a low barrel vault, rectangular footprint and separate firing chamber. These ovens are efficient at cooking large volumes of bread, and are still used throughout Europe.
Prefabricated ovens and stoves were created in Victorian England during the
.
industrial revolution, and signaled the use of metal for oven construction -- a development we are still recovering from. The prefabricated refractory pizza oven was created in Italy around the turn of the century.
The prefabricated oven took off in Italy in the 1970s, with a renaissance of brick oven cooking. Following the modernization of Italy in the aftermath of the second world war, and acceptance of the electric "American Oven", a large number of families began rediscovering the pleasure of wood-fired cooking and the recipes and techniques that their grandparents passed down to them.
The final development in pizza oven design appeared in the 1990s, with the creation of modern refractory materials. These high-tech composites reduce oven heat-up time from 2-3 hours to about 45 minutes and have excellent heat holding characteristics. The modular "oven kit" design also makes installation faster, easier and less expensive. In Italy today, the modular oven design is the most popular for both home-owners and restaurants -- by a large margin.
For the home-owner and restaurant owner, whether you are in the U.S., Britain, Europe or Asia, these wonderful ovens give you the opportunity to enjoy one of the finest cooking experiences in the world.
About the Author
James Bairey, a former Silicon Valley marketing executive, is CEO of <a
href="http://www.fornobravo.com">Forno Bravo,
LLC, a supplier of Italian Wood-Fired Pizza
Ovens and Brick Pizza Ovens and Italian Pizza Ingredients for home
owners and restaurants.