Campania cuisine is one of the many forms of art heavily exported by Italians abroad and Barcelona is a city that is teeming with activities that offer excellent Italian cuisine: "El Panuozzo" is one of these excellences.
Selected by: itBarcelona

In the city of Gragnano, in the province of Naples and close to the Sorrento Peninsula, Panuozzo was born, which soon became a typical element of the Neapolitan culinary tradition and Barcelona is one of the lucky cities that can enjoy the original Panuozzo recipe.

Origins and traditions

It was 1983 when the Mascolo family became the creator of a new alternative to the common pizza: Panuozzo. This innovation stems from the great passion for "white art" of Giuseppe Mascolo, owner of the pizzeria in the city of Gragnano, which enjoys a great reputation in the Neapolitan province. Always eager to satisfy his children's appetite while waiting for dinner, Giuseppe Mascolo experimented with this new dish with an extraordinary result: Panuozzo, which later became a registered trademark and owned by the Mascolo family, who have always been a great lover and bearer of traditions of the family and Neapolitan cuisine.
It made its way on the local culinary market, then regional and finally on a national scale.

The Panuozzo, how it is made

Strictly cooked on a wood oven, Panuozzo is a relative of pizza and sandwich, however it is not one of the other. It preserves the classic goodness of pizza, but is at the same time practical to eat as a sandwich. A practicality that distinguishes it from pizza and a genuineness that distinguishes it from the fast food sandwich. Similar to sandwich, but wider in diameter, it is generally stuffed with meats, cheeses and vegetables. It is made with the dough used for pizza and whose cooking is divided into two phases.

How was “El Panuozzo” born in Barcelona? Marco Mascolo answers us

Marco Mascolo, grandson of the Panuozzo artist, exported this product to the city of Barcelona. Owner of the local "El Panuozzo", located in the heart of Barcelona, ​​Marco is a kind person and tied to
traditions of their land, which tells us its story.

In how many cities and which ones have you opened that offer this product?

The original "Il Panuozzo" is based in Gragnano, in the province of Naples, which was opened in 1980. Over time we opened a franchise distributed across various Italian cities: ten in Lazio, two in Emilia Romagna, one in Veneto and one in Lombardy . “El Panuozzo” which I decided to start here, in the city of Barcelona, ​​is the first to be born in Spain; not to extend the distribution of the franchise, but rather by my personal choice.”

What prompted you to make this choice? What products do you use?

The idea of ​​wanting to bring to Spain a product of quality and Italian tradition, which, I am convinced, will also acquire great fame here.
We have products such as "Porchetta di Ariccia" to fill the classic "Porchetta, chips and provola". Another classic, but of great taste, is undoubtedly the "Fresco" enriched with the original Parma ham, with the addition of cherry tomatoes, parmesan flakes and rocket. Or the tasty “Friarelli” with friarelli and sausage. There is the fresh filling with mortadella and pistachio cream and the panuozzo stuffed with pancetta, fior di latte from the Lattari Mountains and zizzona di bufala di Battipaglia.

Which is the Panuozzo that comes closest to traditions?

The Classico is the first and original panuozzo that my grandfather invented: it is stuffed with pancetta, coppata and fior di latte. Moreover, in my restaurant here in Barcelona, ​​it is the one most appreciated by customers.