Pizzas never get their names by accident. Some have origins in history and others are politically inspired. Queen Margherita of Savoy gave her name to the world’s least complicated pizza during a visit to Naples in the 19th century because its three ingredients – basil, mozzarella and tomatoes – flaunt the colours of Italy’s national flag. Now a new kind of pizza has arrived on the scene from the far north to make an equally clear allusion to present-day Italian politics. It’s called the Pizza Berlusconi, after Italy’s prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi. The new pizza made its debut a few days ago at the restaurants of Finland’s Koti Pizza chain. Innovative and very tasty, the Pizza Berlusconi is made with a base of wholemeal and rye flour topped with red onions, mushrooms and an ingredient that Silvio Berlusconi might find hard to digest: smoked reindeer.The trouble is that the reference to Italy’s prime minister is not exactly complimentary. With its tongue stuck firmly in its cheek, Koti Pizza presented the new product at the New York Pizza Show in March, where it edged two Neapolitan chefs out of first place. Now the chain is exploiting the product’s unexpected victory, playing on Mr Berlusconi’s unpopularity in Finland and somewhat cheekily poking fun at him. The company has launched five radio commercials and is also promoting its latest creation with two slogans on posters and in the press: “A 97-year-old granny bit into a Berlusconi. Be like that sprightly old lady” and “A minister forked up a Berlusconi. You can, too, sensibly and responsibly”, concluding “Order now your Koti Berlusconi, judged the best pizza in the world”. The reason for this insistence, skilfully orchestrated by Koti Pizza’s marketing department, is very familiar to Finns. Three years ago, Silvio Berlusconi earned the antipathy of the entire nation for a fateful quip about Finland’s dietary habits. A diplomatic incident ensured with various repercussions, including attempts to boycott Italian food products.
The occasion was the inauguration of the new headquarters of EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority that keeps watch on human and animal food safety. The Italian prime minister extolled the virtues of Parma, claiming it was particularly suitable for the role thanks to its ham-making heritage, and saying that he thought Finland was less well qualified because Finns eat marinaded reindeer. Finns, however, are very touchy about their favourite animal, and are always ready to spring to its defence. Mr Berlusconi’s claim was not allowed to pass without comment. The Italian premier had in fact made a serious error in referring to marinaded reindeer, a typical dish in Alaska or Norwegian Lapland but not in Finland, where reindeer is stewed, dried or served with an onion and cream sauce but not in a marinade. It goes without saying that the Finns are extremely proud of the new culinary award, which offers an opportunity to show that if they can beat Italy in the pizza stakes, they could also have beaten us in the race for the European food watchdog.
