By Chef Joseph Massaglia
Recently a friend of mine was having lunch at an Italian restaurant out of the area. On the table were paper placemats with a picture of the map of Italy, and while waiting for his order he noticed that near the “boot” of Italy was an island called Stromboli. He asked me if the map was correct, and I assured him it was.
Yes, there is an Italian island called Stromboli, and it is home to about 400 people and one of the three active volcanoes in Italy, which is called Stromboli. So, how did the name of this volcano come to be the name of one of the classic Italian pizza-style sandwiches on every pizza shop menu?
According to many sources, the name Stromboli comes from a Greek word meaning round, and it’s thought the Greeks gave the island that name because the volcano looked round from a distance.
So, who invented the popular stromboli we all enjoy? Believe it or not, it was not invented in Italy. Nazzereno (Nat) Romano, founder of Romano’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria in Essington, PA, just outside of Philadelphia, claims to have invented it.
According to the company’s website, romanostromoli.com, in the winter of 1949 Nat started to experiment with a new sandwich, filling his secret recipe dough with a variety of Italian meats, bell peppers and cheeses that he rolled into a log and baked. He began to produce and sell the as-yet-unnamed sandwiches in early 1950.
During this time, a local resident and regular customer, William Schoefield, asked Nat what he called this new sandwich. Nat admitted that he didn’t have a name for it and invited Mr. Schoefield to suggest one. This was 1950 and the press was full of the scandal involving Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rosselini, who had become romantically involved during the filming of the movie “Stromboli Terra di Orio.” Schoefield suggested the name stromboli – and it stuck.
And so, where did calzone, the stromboli’s cousin, come from? It appears that it originated in Naples, Italy in the 18th century and because of its shape it was a popular item to eat on the go. (Interestingly calzone in Italian translates to “pants legs.)
Yes, both are related yet different. For a stromboli, pizza dough is stretched out into a square, then traditionally topped with tomato sauce, Italian meats, sometimes vegetables, mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, rolled and then baked. A calzone is actually a turnover. The pizza dough is rolled into a circle, Italian meats, sometimes vegetables, and cheeses are added to one half, the second half is folded over and the edges are crimped and then it’s baked. In a calzone the sauce is served on the side as a dipping sauce, not put inside with the filling.
But times have changed, and now you can order your stromboli or calzone with any number of different fillings. At Mama Mia’s in Marmora, you can order yours with a variety of Italian meats, steak, chicken, meatballs, sausage, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms – or made to order with a combination you like.
Both are best served warm, but can be reheated in the oven if you have yours refrigerated to eat later. And you can’t go wrong with either one, both are delicious.
Buon Appetit
