Forno’s Newest Pizza Takes Inspiration from a Famous Pasta Dish

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Following their naming as the third best pizza in Beijing for 2023, Roman-style pizza makers Forno are bringing a particular twist with their latest pie – by putting pasta on pizza.

Well, not literally. Wet pasta noodles baked into a pizza sounds like an adventure most palates aren't ready to take yet – and a bit gross. Instead, this new pizza, dreamt up by Forno's pizzaiolo Paolo Salvo, simply pays homage to a particular Roman pasta sauce: Salsa all'Amatriciana.
Together with Cacio e Pepe, Gricia, and Carbonara, all'Amatriciana is one of Rome's four unofficial, great pasta styles. The four sauces have a number of things in common, especially their use of guanciale (cured pork jowl) or pancetta (Italian bacon), black pepper, and Pecorino Romano cheese (a sheep's cheese characterized by a markedly salty bite) as key ingredients.

Pasta all'Amatriciana as served in Rome, topped with a healthy coating of Pecorino Romano cheese

While the other three sauces are all creamy, all'Amatriciana sets itself apart by using tomato sauce as its base, with the guanciale or pancetta and Pecorino mixed in. This makes it ideal for translating into pizza form.
And Salvo achieves this translation with style in the form of the Amatriciana pizza (RMB 108). Using Forno's pizza in pala as a base, the Amatriciana comes topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, big pieces of pancetta, cherry tomatoes, basil, Pecorino, a Parmigiano Reggiano sauce, and, curiously, crispy fried onions.

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These onions aren't a stand in for noodles or anything. It's a variation on the traditional sauce. “In some variations of Salsa all'Amatriciana, onion is included as an ingredient,” Salvo tells us. “We wanted to incorporate this flavor into our pizza while also taking advantage of the crispiness that the oven brings to the onions.”

The addition of crispy fried onions lend the Amatriciana pizza an added texture

The crispy onions also add a nice extra texture to the pizza, rounding the whole thing out as a special take on the pasta sauce it takes its name from. It's savory and crunchy, with an extra hit of tomato on the crust, whose blackened parts – thanks to the wood fired oven – add an extra layer of depth to the whole pie.
Pizza in pala meets pasta to bring together two great foods from Rome into one, all without putting pasta on the pizza itself. Head to Forno or order via your favorite delivery app to give this pie a try today.

Sanyuanqiao branch

06A, Instreet Phoenix Galleria Mall, Chaoyang District
凤凰环路凤凰汇·里巷In Street06A商铺

Sanlitun branch

S6-33, 3F, Taikooli South, 19 Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District
朝阳区三里屯路19号太苦里南区3层 S6-33

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Images: Forno, Wikicommons, The Beijingers

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