QUALITALY 142

October/November 2024 IX MAGAZINE one in five respondents would pay 15% more, 14.3% up to 20% more, 7.7% up to 25% more. Which leads straight to one conclusion: when choosing where to enjoy a pizza, the customer may be influenced by the origin of the wood used in the oven. It might therefore be advisable not only to source from ‘green’ suppliers, but also to communicate this clearly. LEGAL INDICATIONS These leave no room for interpretation or preference, and the current regulatory indications that ‘a food business must not accept raw materials or ingredients or any material used in the processing of products if they are contaminated with parasites, pathogenic or toxic micro-organisms, decomposed or foreign substances to such an extent that the final product is unfit for human consumption, even after the food business has hygienically carried out normal sorting and/or preliminary or treatment procedures’. The supplier must therefore provide a guarantee as to the origin and suitability of the product for use in the food sector. A guarantee that, in the five years following purchase, traders will be required to exhibit during any checks by the State Forestry Corps. Penalty: an administrative fine ranging from 150.00 to 1,500 euro. A LOOK AT WOOD TYPES Alongside the choice of a suitable and, if possible, certified wood, there is also - and here lies the second factor of choice - that of the type to be used for food preparation. A point which should be clarified. In the case of pizza, it is advisable to go for oak, beech, hornbeam or locust wood. These are all types that burn slowly and produce an intense and constant heat, ideal for baking pizzas, focaccias, pies and the like. Resinous wood, however, such as pine or fir, should be avoided as it burns very quickly, produces smoke and gives food a bitter taste, as well as releasing substances that are toxic to both the environment and the food. Grilling, however, is a different matter. Here it must be considered that, depending on the type of wood used for cooking food, different aromas and flavours can be obtained. And from this point of view, one can follow the indications suggested by PEFC Italy, summarised in the table on these pages. __________________________________ TABLE 1 Shopping tips: pizza Beech wood: this is among the most widely used in pizza baking. It burns slowly, produces an intense and constant heat and has a light aroma Oak wood: this is another good choice for pizza. It burns slowly, produces an intense, constant heat and has a neutral aroma. Hornbeam wood: burns slowly, produces intense, constant heat and has a beech-like aroma Locust wood: burns slowly, produces intense, constant heat and has a delicate aroma Olive wood: burns quickly, produces intense heat and has an intense, characteristic aroma Citrus wood: burns quickly, produces intense heat and has a delicate, fruity aroma __________________________________ TABLE 2 Shopping tips: the grill Oak wood: with a medium-strong character, it imparts a classic smoky flavour and is suitable for almost all types of meat Olive wood : enhances lamb meat, with a ‘roasted’ flavour Beech wood: emphasises the herbaceous sensation typical of lamb and stands out in terms of its aromatic composition with veal. Combined with arbutus wood, it enriches the embers with strong sensory and taste notes Apple wood : with a sweet and slightly fruity flavour, excellent for beef, pork, lamb, poultry and some seafood Alder wood : sweet and delicate, ideal for seafood and vegetables Cherry wood: its delicate, fruity flavour goes well with all meats and seafood Maple wood : sweet, light and with a delicate flavour, excellent for poultry Walnut wood : with a strong and intense flavour, excellent for game __________________________________ BOX New York imposes a crackdown on wood-fired ovens All pizzerias and bakeries that use wood or coal-fired ovens will be required to reduce smoke and pollutant emissions by 75 per cent. This is at the heart of the recent law enacted by New York City Mayor Eric Leroy Adams. The measure has not yet come into force but, according to a report in the New York Post , it has already cost the Big Apple’s restaurant companies more than $600,000 in technical upgrades. And it inevitably raises the debate on the environmental impact of wood-burning ovens also in Europe. __________________________________ AT PAGE 34 FOCUS ON Panettone, unconditional love FIGURES CONFIRM THE INCREASING SALES OF THIS CHRISTMAS SPECIALITY, OF WHICH THERE IS A ‘QUEEN’ VERSION, THE MILANESE PANETTONE, AS WELL AS OTHER VARIANTS AND INTRIGUING COMBINATIONS. ALTHOUGH ITS SUCCESS REMAINS UNDISPUTED, INFLATION TURNS CONSUMERS’ ATTENTION TO THE PRICE by Veronica Fumarola When Christmas is just around the corner, the panettone season also begins. The king of the traditional Christmas pastries is also the iconic dessert of Milan, whose history is intertwined with actual events and fascinating legends. The first attributes the invention of the panettone to a servant named Toni in the service of Ludovico il Moro. During a luxurious Christmas Eve banquet, to make up for the cake ruined by the cook, the apprentice’s bread was allegedly served enriched with eggs and dried fruit. A second story features a certain Ugo Antellani, a falconer of noble origins, who falls in love with the daughter of the baker Toni and does everything he can to get himself hired. One night, in an attempt