Yet, says the pizzaiolo from Fano, Daniele Caggiano, «in the end, it’s nothing too sacrilegious: it’s a Margherita pizza to which, when served, slices of boiled egg and a generous amount of mayonnaise, often homemade, are added.»
This combination is the basis of the so-called Rossini, a pizza whose origins are impossible to pinpoint but which, according to some sources (especially the first pages of menus from pizzerias in Pesaro, which often contain historical notes), began to be served in a pastry shop in Pesaro, the Bar Montesi, in the 1960s, initially to accompany aperitifs.
It is dedicated to the composer from Pesaro, Gioachino Rossini, who, in addition to composing some of the most famous comic operas in history, was a skilled cook and a connoisseur of rare ingredients, which he often imported to Italy after his long tours abroad: several recipes are attributed to him, such as macaroni dressed with mushrooms, truffles, tomato, prosciutto, cream, and champagne, which are precisely called macaroni alla Rossini.
In recent decades, also because of the prestigious name it carries, the Rossini pizza has gained such symbolic and ‘identitarian’ importance for Pesaro that it has been recreated in many variations, such as those that include anchovies, stracciatella, sausage (which becomes the Rossiccia), or olives. Pizzerias very often make mayonnaise themselves, and sometimes they get creative in arranging it on the pizza, developing patterns and shapes that set them apart.
Alberto Grandi, a professor at the University of Parma and author of the book *La cucina italiana non esiste*, as well as the podcast *DOI – Denominazione di Origine Inventata*, says that the Rossini pizza is a typical case of ‘invention of tradition,’ that is, the creation of a dish from scratch, around which a certain storytelling (that is, a story of its origins) is then built.
«Legare la pizza al nome di uno dei più celebri esponenti della cultura locale è un buon modo per renderla riconoscibile. In questo caso ancora di più, perché da ciò che sappiamo Rossini era un amante della cucina e del buon cibo», spiega. «L’ipotesi che Rossini abbia portato la maionese nella sua città natale dopo un concerto all’estero è molto suggestiva, ma ovviamente non abbiamo elementi per confermarla», dice ancora Grandi.
Although it is not an ancient dish, the Rossini has been so successful that it has become part of Pesaro’s culinary culture. There is no pizzeria that does not offer at least the traditional version, which, according to Pesaro author Pier Mauro Tamburini, ‘is usually the third pizza you find on the menu,’ right after the marinara and margherita.
