Brazilian Chef Adapts Italian Ice Technique for Creamy Cheese Pizza
Chef Sudário Silva, a 73-year-old pizzaiolo in São Roque, São Paulo, has adopted an Italian technique using ice cubes to create a unique creamy cheese topping for his pizzas. This method, inspired by Italian chef Stefano Callegari, specifically works with Parmesan and Pecorino cheeses. Callegari's original technique, developed for a 'cacio e pepe' pizza, uses ice to prevent the Pecorino cheese from burning at high oven temperatures. The melting ice creates steam, cooking the cheese gently and forming a creamy texture without charring. Chef Silva applies a similar approach, placing ice cubes on the pizza before adding Parmesan cheese. As the ice melts, it produces steam and moisture, which helps transform the Parmesan into a creamy layer while the top remains baked. He is known for his long-fermentation pizza doughs, sometimes waiting up to 120 hours for preparation. Silva, who has been in the region since 1981, is a recognized figure for his expertise in pizza making and his willingness to experiment with new techniques. He and his son, Guilherme de Faria Silva, manage the pizzaria located on the Rota do Vinho (Wine Route).
This culinary innovation highlights how established techniques can be adapted across different cultural contexts, blending traditional Italian methods with local ingredients and preferences. The application of ice as a thermal regulator in baking demonstrates a practical understanding of phase changes and heat transfer, effectively controlling temperature to achieve a desired texture. This approach addresses a common challenge in high-heat cooking: preventing delicate ingredients like cheese from burning while ensuring they are properly cooked. The underlying principle is leveraging the latent heat of fusion of ice to maintain a stable, lower temperature zone, thereby enabling a controlled cooking process. This method offers a novel way to manage the Maillard reaction and emulsification of cheese, creating distinct textural layers on the pizza.
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