Italy declares authentic pizza can only be made in Naples.

[Wezil]

I don't know about where you live but it is the "pizza" part that sells, not the "napoletana". I can't see any local places losing a dime (if they were forced to abide by absurd EU rules).

[notyoueither]

Not "pizza", but "pizza napoletana".

Is that a widespread distinction in Europe?

[notyoueither]

Anyone?

From the article it would appear the Italians will be the worst hit by this:

The Italian farmers' association says that half of Italy's 25,000 pizzerias currently use the wrong ingredients, such as East European cheese or Ukrainian flour.

Where is the protectionism?

I would imagine that to use the 'authentic' label Italian ingredients will have to be used.

[Dauphin]

I don't know about where you live but it is the "pizza" part that sells, not the "napoletana". I can't see any local places losing a dime (if they were forced to abide by absurd EU rules).

Exactly my point. Who gives a ****.

[Dauphin]

Is that a widespread distinction in Europe?

Not that I am aware of. Maybe in Italy. My point is you can still call whatever ever you like a pizza without falling foul of the TSG label. Given I can not recall ever seeing a pizza labeleld "authentic" or referring to Naples, Neapolitan, Napoletana etc I don't think this will effect many people one jot. What I normally see these pizzas called is "margherita", which to my knowledge is not protected by the ruling.

[germanos]

Exactly. Any modern company could not trademark a name 500 years after it had gone mainstream; example calling a photocopy a "xerox"

I'm pretty sure that the American Xerox Co. would be all up in arms if Canon was to sell their machines as "the best xerox there is".

[Dauphin]

You pick up on that, but not the implied notion that xerox has been around 500 years.

[germanos]

Anyway, as Dauphin allready pointed out it only affects pizza 'Napolitana'. Not pizza in general.

And I'm all for such rules. The American fast food pizza chains products are an abomination that bear no resamblance to anything pizza at all.
And I hate it when my 'quattro Stagioni' lacks seafood :doitnow:

[germanos]

You pick up on that, but not the implied notion that xerox has been around 500 years.

Well, given the age of the US I guess that relatively speaking Xerox is about as old as pizza

[BeBMan]

Is that a widespread distinction in Europe?

Outside of Naples, no.

[Japher]

Now I'm craving a pizza... and I don't have any

[Cort Haus]

Anyone?

From the article it would appear the Italians will be the worst hit by this:

The Italian farmers' association says that half of Italy's 25,000 pizzerias currently use the wrong ingredients, such as East European cheese or Ukrainian flour.

Where is the protectionism?

Good point. Perhaps the protectionism only exists in the minds of knee-jerk euro-bashers.

[Dinner]

You pick up on that, but not the implied notion that xerox has been around 500 years.

Absolutely no body implied that. It seems more then a bit of inference on your part.

[Wernazuma III]

It's a common European procedure that has made news in this particular case. It's the same with Parmesan cheese, which must be from around Parma in order to be sold as such, and there exist hundreds of such regional products. "Emmentaler" is still not protected because the Swiss won't join the Empire.
It's part of strategies to strengthen regional profiles and identities and to enforce regional development based on heritage.

[Perfection]

The best pizza is American pizza.