Among the few certainties in life, one that cannot be argued is the following: in Naples it is really difficult to go on a diet. Every step on the ancient Vesuvian paving stones of the historic center is marked by the scents of the best street food in the world, in terms of complexity and variety.
Pizzeria Capuano | Ph. Machi di Pace
Between pizzas “a portafoglio”(a round and smaller pizza, which is folded like a wallet), “cuoppi” (paper cones) of mixed fried food, fried polenta, zeppole and potato croquettes, also fried, you can fill your belly with a few coins. And you can experience the ecstasy of the palate. Without beating around the bush: few foods in the world can satisfy you more than Neapolitan street food.
A walk in the ancient center is enough to find pizzerias and takeaways that offer an evergreen of street food in the shadow of Vesuvius: pasta omelettes. First of all the ingredients: a round and irregular disc of long pasta (bucatini, most of the time), peas, cooked ham and provolone. Someone adds the ragù; someone else the bechamel. You don't have a unique recipe. The idea is to use the leftover ingredients the day before. Like any recovery recipe, there is no official version. You only have one certainty: the pasta omelette must be fried.
Giuliano Pizzeria | Ph. Machi di Pace
Starting from the borders of the historic center, you find via Monteoliveto, near a seventeenth-century fountain and an imposing noble palace. A showcase full of goodies (fried, if you were wondering) catches the eye. It is Giuliano Pizzeria. A corner shop with a window on two levels and a central counter. Here you can order your pasta omelette, the service is fast and without too many frills.
The price strikes immediately: with just one euro you can buy this tasty and oiled pasta disc, which in itself is a complete lunch. Then, if you move towards the fountain square and enjoy the first spring sun, you can eat the omelette voluptuously. The bucatini have the right consistency and are not overcooked. In addition to the peas, there is a veil of ragù, which gives the bite a little more satisfaction. Overall a great way to start, with dry, non-greasy frying. Maybe just a little crunchy but the palate is satisfied and happy. Go on!
Gli Sfizi di Napoli | Ph. Machi di Pace
Second stage: you immerse yourself in the crowd of Spaccanapoli, the street that divides the historic center into two parts. A blade of paving stones and lava stone surrounded by some of the most beautiful buildings in the city: the basilica of Santa Chiara, the ashlar of the Gesù Nuovo church, Palazzo Filomarino. At the deli Gli Sfizi di Napoli the omelette is quite intriguing.
It is bigger than the hand, covered with breadcrumbs and the bucatini are also breaded. In the Neapolitan dialect you would say "arruscati" (scorched). The bite reveals all the crunchiness of frying. Quite different from that of Pizzeria Giuliano, much closer to a "chips" version of the omelette. It is white, without ragù or béchamel. The flavor is in bucatini and provola. A bold but winning choice.
San Gennaro Pizzeria | Ph. Machi di Pace
The walk continues towards Piazza San Domenico, leaving behind the church with its gothic shapes and baroque interiors that gives the square its name. Turn towards a downhill street, via Mezzocannone, the heart of Neapolitan university life. After a few steps you arrive at the Pizzeria San Gennaro. You may expect great things from a place with the name of the patron saint of Naples.
At first you may be a bit skeptical: the omelette is much smaller than the previous two. But just as you don't judge a book by its cover, so you don't judge an omelette just by its size. So taste it: doughy, crunchy, fragrant and all the adjectives that come to your mind to express pure enjoyment to the taste buds. The frying is dry and balanced and the flavors are clearly distinguished from each other. This is the peak of taste.
Di Matteo Pizzeria | Ph. Machi di Pace
And it is precisely at the peak that you want to be. You go up along the San Domenico alley, walk alongside the tourists in line for the Sansevero Chapel and lead via Tribunali. You are in the Decumano Superiore, the one parallel to Spaccanapoli. Place of pizzerias and clubs among the most famous in the city. Among these, after passing Piazza San Gaetano - the heart of Greek-Roman Naples - you find Di Matteo, home of the perhaps most famous omelettes in the historic center. You always find a remarkable line: all with coins in hand to desire the bite of satisfaction.
Let’s not beat around the bush: Di Matteo's omelette is pure pleasure. Bucatini and provola blend in an intense and enveloping way. A gastronomic experience that you can enjoy with only two euros in your pocket. To try and try again, forgetting the feeling of satiety. Even on your fourth omelette, it can make you scream with pleasure, as if you didn’t eat any for decades.
Capuano Pizzeria | Ph. Machi di Pace
But if you are apt for a challenge, go eat five omelettes in one day. Going down via Tribunali and reaching via San Gregorio Armeno, the street of the nativity scenes, you are back on Spaccanapoli, this time on the side called San Biagio dei Librai, close to the popular district of Forcella. Here you find the Capuano pizzeria, another name very well known in these parts.
In ten seconds you have again an omelette in your hands and may divide it into two parts, to see the stringy provola. Also in this case the recipe is the classic one: no ragù. And even in this case it is pure satisfaction. The bite is crunchy, the frying is light, the taste is intense and persistent. The perfect way to end a Neapolitan food tour in search of the perfect pasta omelette.