Nowadays, you’ll see the term ‘gourmet’ slapped on just about anything. But what does that actually mean? And are all the things that claim to be ‘gourmet’, actually gourmet?
The word automatically makes most people think that something is fancier or more upmarket. Generally, it’s a good thing and makes something sound more desirable. In particular, the gourmet pizza trend in Australia is booming. But, being able to discern what actually qualifies as gourmet will ensure that your money is well spent, and that you never eat a pizza you regret.
While a lot of pizza restaurants will just label their pizzas as gourmet to sell more, at 11 Inch Pizza we pride ourselves in being able to call ourselves a truly gourmet pizzeria. When you dine with us, you can be sure you are getting an authentic gourmet experience.
What Does ‘Gourmet’ Actually Mean?
The word ‘gourmet’ originated as a French term in the early 19th century. It was used to describe a person, usually a wine-taster, with a discerning palette. Since then, the word has evolved to be applicable to food, as well as people.
Gourmet food is food which has been carefully prepared, is of the highest quality and is presented beautifully. It is usually prepared with gourmet ingredients, which are superior in quality or unique and hard to find.
Gourmet food often takes longer to prepare than a generic dish. This is due to the complexity of the techniques used to make it and the extra care and effort that goes into making sure that its overall quality is fantastic.
What’s the Difference Between Gourmet Pizza and Regular Pizza?
Despite the term gourmet being introduced as recently as the 19th century, pizza has been around long before that. The word ‘pizza’ was first documented as early as 997 AD. But traditional Italian pizza has evolved a lot since then. For a lot of people in Australia, the main perception of pizza is the greasy slices they receive from a chain delivery service.
These standard chain restaurant pizzas will usually offer a fairly simple menu of toppings: margherita, pepperoni, sausage, and meat lovers. Usually the ingredients they use will be fairly sub-par as well, bought for cheapness and longevity, rather than quality.
Gourmet pizzas, on the other hand, use finer and fresher ingredients. The dough will have been freshly hand-kneaded (as opposed to being kept in a freezer for months before being cooked). The sauce will be made with juicy tomatoes and hand-selected herbs (rather than scooped out of a can or squirted out of a bottle).
The gourmet pizza topping selection is much more extensive. There are unique ingredients like provolone, fior di latte, Italian sausage, pine nuts, and Sicillian anchovies. Gourmet pizzerias will also usually offer the traditional and well-loved classics like the margherita. However, the main difference is that the ingredients used are so much more superior, which can completely change the way a pizza tastes.
A gourmet pizzeria will often usually try to incorporate traditional Italian techniques and recipes. This way, you know you’re getting the authentic taste and experience.
Gourmet pizzas are also a lot healthier than chain restaurant pizzas because of the fresh ingredients used. Gourmet pizzas have no need to use preservatives or artificial flavour enhancers. The fresh ingredients and quality craftmanship speak for themselves.
What Makes the Pizzas at 11 Inch Pizza Gourmet?
At 11 Inch Pizza, we pride ourselves on making the best gourmet pizzas in Melbourne. For us, being able to call ourselves a gourmet pizzeria means we will never try to cut corners. We never skimp on size and we only ever choose the freshest and highest quality ingredients. We even hand knead the dough for each and every pizza we serve, which is a rarity nowadays.
Part of the reason we put so much time and effort into crafting every single slice of pizza is because we know that our customers can taste the love we put into it. We have seen for ourselves the way our pizzas are able to bring people together, and we want to continue doing that for as long as possible.
Get in Touch with Us
Next time you’re looking for gourmet pizza in Melbourne, visit us or get in touch:
- Call us on: 9602 5333 or 9602 5777
- Make a reservation online
- Order online
- Visit us at Collins 7A/353 Little Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
We’re open from 11am to 9:30pm on weekdays, 5pm to 9:30pm on Saturday and 5pm – 9pm Sunday.
