Italiano
It is no coincidence that, wherever you are in Italy, lots of pizzerias display the “wood-fired pizza” sign outside.
The old school style still has its charm, although the debate over who prefers the electric oven to the traditional wood-fired one is quite heated.
And, if I may express my opinion, it’s all subjective, based on personal tastes.
What is not subjective tho, is the particulate matter that hovers in pizzerias with wood-fired ovens.
This is exactly the topic of a scientific paper written by a team of researchers from the University of Cassino (Central Italy, not far from Rome), entitled “Exposure to particle number, surface area and PM concentrations in pizzerias“.
The research compared the particulate emissions of 15 pizzerias, differing in size, type of catering (pizzeria only or restaurant/pizzeria), size of the oven (obviously, wood-fired) and ventilation.
The analysis led to the following conclusions:
– there is a more marked concentration of volatile particles in smaller pizzerias.
– the concentration of particulate matter is higher during the pizza cooking phases, as it is the work and presence of the pizza chef in front of the “oven door” that hinders the normal flow of fumes towards the hood (as we have seen in another post, the cook can be an “obstacle”).
Finally, the greatest concentration of particulate matter occurs in rooms with unsuitable ventilation in terms of capture power and efficiency. As it was easy to imagine.
What is the moral of the story?
Equip yourself with a good hood if you have a “traditional” pizzeria with a wood-fired oven.
You know what?
Equip yourself with a suitable hood whatever your catering business.
An Aluminox hood, it goes without saying!
