Panuozzo di Gragnano – Campania's Super-Sized Pizza Panino

Neapolitan pizza is usually the first dish to spring to mind when one thinks of the food of Campania, but panuozzo di Gragnano is also worth the trip. This pizza hybrid is made from pizza dough that's been stretched out into the shape of a foot-long bread. It dates back to the early 1980s, having been invented at Pizzeria Mascolo in Gragnano, a town south of Naples and north of the Amalfi Coast. 

Gragnano's pizza-panino

Although the recipe is time-intensive, pizzaioli in Campania and beyond have tried their hand at this soft, crispy sandwich, though the original panuozzo can only be found at Pizzeria Mascolo. In 1982, pizzaiolo Giuseppe Mascolo wanted to craft a pizza alternative, and after some trial and error, he created and patented the panuozzo. 

The pizza dough is shaped into a sandwich bread that's around 25-30 centimeters (10-12 inches) long. It's then baked for 30 minutes before being stuffed and then baked again for a few more minutes. Once ready, the panuozzo is served as is, possibly cut into two or four pieces if requested, or wrapped in paper to enjoy as takeaway street food. 

Local products only

Pizzeria Mascolo offers several panuozzo options, and the filling ingredients are all local and of optimal quality. There's the “original” with pancetta and mozzarella as well as options with prosciutto and mozzarella and sausage and friarielli, a bitter green from Campania that's similar to broccoli rabe. The Tommaso, one of the most popular, is filled with mozzarella, pancetta, champignon mushrooms, and spicy sauce.

The Pizzeria Mascolo team implements several DOP and IGP meat, dairy products, and produce from the Lattari Mountains, Campania's main mountain range. The pizza dough flour is produced in Gragnano, one of Italy's most production pasta production regions, with water from a local aquifer – it doesn't get any more local than that.