Pizza quattro formaggi
{{Short description|Italian pizza with four variants of cheese melted together}}
{{Redirect|Quattro formaggi|the 1996 EP|Dogstar (band)}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Pizza quattro formaggi
| image = Pizza quattro formaggi at restaurant, Chalk Farm Road, London.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| alternate_name = {{lang|it|Pizza ai quattro formaggi}}
| country = Italy
| type = Pizza
| main_ingredient = Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, fontina, Parmesan
}}
{{Pizza}}
Pizza quattro formaggi ({{IPA|it|ˈkwattro forˈmaddʒi|lang}}; {{literally|four cheese pizza}}), also known as {{lang|it|pizza ai quattro formaggi}}, is a style of pizza in Italian cuisine that is topped with a combination of four types of cheese, usually melted together, with ({{lang|it|rossa}}, {{literally|red}}) or without ({{lang|it|bianca}}, {{literally|white}}) tomato sauce. It is popular worldwide, including in Italy,{{cite web|url=https://www.tasteatlas.com/most-popular-pizzas-in-italy|title=Most popular italian pizzas|publisher=Taste Atlas.|date=25 April 2020}} and is one of the iconic items from pizzerias' menus.
History
Traditionally, the cheeses include mozzarella, as the fundamental component, which maintains humidity during cooking, partially protecting the other cheeses from the strong heat of the oven.{{cite web|url=https://www.agrodolce.it/2016/04/06/pizza-quattro-formaggi/|title=Revival: la pizza Quattro Formaggi|publisher=Gabriele Valdès|date=25 April 2020}} Gorgonzola is almost systematically present and the completing duo consists of other local cheeses, depending on the region, with fontina and Parmesan as the typical complements,{{cite web|url=https://www.tasteatlas.com/quattro-formaggi|title=Pizza quattro formaggi|publisher=Taste Atlas|date=6 April 2016}} but other variants include pecorino, Grana Padano, taleggio, smoked {{lang|it|scamorza}}, provolone or caciocavallo. Beside mozzarella, mass-produced pizzas often use Parmesan, {{lang|it|pecorino romano}}, asiago, and other Italian-style cheeses, although some use non-Italian cheeses such as edam, emmental, and blue cheese.{{cite web|url=https://www.oetker.co.uk/uk-en/our-products/pizza/ristorante/quattro-formaggi|title=Ristorante Pizza Quattro Formaggi|publisher=Dr. Oetker|date=25 April 2020}} The choice of cheeses is not random, they should be full-fat or semi-fat and vary in flavour. Besides mozzarella, the quattro formaggi usually combines a blue or mature cheese, a soft cheese (such as emmental or gruyère) or a creamy cheese (such as robiola or stracchino), and a hard cheese (Parmesan or pecorino, grated).
Unlike other pizzas, such as the Neapolitan or the Margherita, which have an old, rich, and documented history, the quattro formaggi, despite its popularity and preponderance, has a less clear origin, certainly due to its composition being so obvious. It is believed to originate from the Lazio region at the beginning of the 18th century.{{cite web|url=https://le80.fr/la-pizza-4-fromages-origines-et-recettes/|title=La pizza 4 fromages : origines et recettes.|publisher=Restaurant le Quatre Vingt.|date=31 May 2017}} Its less obvious and more recent versions, such as the quattro lati pizza, can be on the opposite tracked in the history of gastronomy.{{cite web|url=https://www.ilmattino.it/sapori_della_campania/le_news/pizza_quattro_latti_campana_ciro_savarese_arzano-4286409.html|title=Nasce la pizza "Quattro Latti" campana, con latte di bufala, vacca, capra e pecora.|publisher=Il Mattino|date=9 February 2019}}
See also
{{Portal|Italy|Food}}