Photo: PIzzeria Tratto When Christopher Royal opened Pizzeria Tratto in downtown Penticton five years ago, he knew he was bringing a little Italian magic to Peach City. Tratto introduced traditional Neapolitan pizza to Penticton, bringing together the way pizza is made in Naples, the birthplace of pizza, while combining all the good life Okanagan has to offer. “When we opened Tratto it was an instant hit.
It was like lightning in a bottle,” said Christopher. “It’s street food from Naples.” With an open kitchen, guests can watch the dough being stretched, topped and then cooked in a traditional Neapolitan dome oven which is the centre piece of the restaurant.
It only takes 90 seconds to cook because the oven hovers around 900 F. All the dough goes through a cold process for a minimum of three days in the ‘dough room.’ This time sitting relaxes the gluten which makes the dough much easier to digest, said Christopher.
The time is also key to making the best tasting pizza there is, giving it a slightly chewy and soft center and char crust. The pizzas are brought to the table uncut and to be enjoyed with a knife and fork or by hand by folding a slice in half and folding it into a cone to eat, he said. Each pizza pie comes to the table with a pair of scissors for you to cut your own slices.
But the scissors aren’t just a gimmick, explains Christopher. “Neapolitan pizza is very delicate. Slicing it with a knife damages the dough.
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