Pizza mastunicola
Naples' pizza from before the tomato: a white base dressed with lard, grated pecorino, basil and black pepper.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Rest
- 8 hr
- Total
- 8 hr 35 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Pizza mastunicola is the pizza Naples ate before tomatoes arrived: a white base dressed with lard, grated pecorino, fresh basil and black pepper. The name comes from the Neapolitan dialect word for basil. Everything is spread on raw: a thin layer of soft pork lard, called sugna in Naples, pushed over the dough with the fingertips, then a generous snow of pecorino, torn basil leaves and pepper. In the oven the lard melts into the dough and fries the rim, the cheese browns, and the basil wilts and perfumes everything. Use lard that is fresh and mild-smelling, and grate the pecorino finely so it melts rather than burns. Done is a crisp-rimmed, savoury pizza that tastes of pork fat, sharp sheep's cheese and basil, simple and rich at once.
What you'll need
8 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Dough
- Topping
Ingredients
Dough
- Wheat flour, tipo 00300 g
- Water, cool190 ml
- Yeast, fresh, or a pinch of dried1 g
- Salt8 g
Topping
- Lard, soft30 g
- Pecorino Romano, finely grated60 g
- Basil12 leaf
- Black pepper, freshly ground4.9 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Dissolve the yeast in the water, mix in the flour, then the salt, and knead until smooth. Cover and rise 2 hours, then divide into two balls and rise 6 hours more, or 24 hours in the fridge.
15 min
Step 2
Heat the oven to its highest setting with a steel or upturned tray inside for 40 minutes.
40 min280°C
Step 3
Press each ball out from the centre with your fingers, leaving a thicker rim. Spread the lard thinly over the base and rim with your fingertips, scatter the pecorino, tear over the basil and grind on plenty of pepper.
5 min
Step 4
Bake until the rim is golden and blistered and the cheese is lightly browned, 6–9 minutes at home, about 90 seconds in a wood oven.
9 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 687 kcal
- Protein
- 25.9 g
- Carbs
- 118.3 g
- Fat
- 10.4 g
- Saturated fat
- 5.6 g
- Fibre
- 4.7 g
- Sugar
- 1.2 g
- Sodium
- 2290 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Milk
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 10 November.
Substitutions
Pecorino → Grated caciocavallo
Another cheese of old Neapolitan pizza; milder than pecorino.
Tips
- Put half the basil on after baking if you like it fresh and green.
- Use a mild, clean-smelling lard from a good butcher.
History & culture
In Naples it is a pizza of history and curiosity, offered by pizzerias that care about the city's tradition, and many pizzaioli today add a little smoked provola. Neapolitans still use lard in their baking, in taralli and casatiello, so its taste on a pizza is familiar rather than strange.
Before the tomato became common in Neapolitan cooking in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, pizza was dressed with what the poor had: lard, garlic, hard cheese and herbs. Mastunicola is usually named as the oldest of these toppings. The tomato pizzas of Naples, marinara and margherita, came later.
Traditional — Lard, pecorino, basil and black pepper on a white base, as before the tomato.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Pizza mastunicola take?
8 hr 35 min all in — 25 min prep, 10 min cook, 8 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 2 pizzas. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Nut-free.
6 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Mixing bowl, Oven, Baking tray.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 8 g.
What can I use instead?
Pecorino → Grated caciocavallo. Another cheese of old Neapolitan pizza; milder than pecorino.
Any tips from this recipe?
Put half the basil on after baking if you like it fresh and green. Use a mild, clean-smelling lard from a good butcher.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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