History

Marseille's Sicilian and Calabrian immigrants from the early 20th century brought the wood-fired pizza tradition that became Marseillais pizza, distinct from the Neapolitan version with a thinner crust and a sharper salt-and-anchovy edge. Chez Etienne in Le Panier (1943) and Chez Sauveur in Noailles (1943) are the canonical rooms, both still cooking without menus on cash-only terms. The half-anchovy half-cheese is the local Marseillais order, asked for as the moitie-moitie.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Fish, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 2Hands-on 30 minTotal 24 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 500g strong bread flour
  • 320ml lukewarm water
  • 10g fine salt
  • 3g fresh yeast or 1g dried yeast
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 400g tinned San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
  • 1 garlic clove
  • Olive oil, salt
  • 200g mozzarella, sliced
  • 1 small tin salt-packed anchovies in olive oil

Method

  1. Mix the flour, salt, yeast and water in a bowl until rough. Knead 8 minutes by hand until smooth and elastic. Cover and rise at room temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate 18 to 24 hours.
  2. Take the dough out 2 hours before baking. Divide into two balls, cover and let warm up.
  3. Crush the tomatoes with the garlic clove, season with salt and a drizzle of olive oil.
  4. Heat the oven to maximum (250C if you have it) with a pizza stone for 45 minutes. Stretch each dough ball into a thin 30cm disc.
  5. For the moitie-moitie: spread tomato over half the pizza, cover with mozzarella; spread the other half with tomato only, lay anchovy fillets across after baking. Slide onto the hot stone and bake 6 to 8 minutes until the crust is dark-edged and blistered.

Tip from the editors. The 24-hour cold fermentation is the difference between bread and pizza; do not skip it. Lay the anchovies on the cooked pizza after baking, not before, or they fry into salt.

Where to eat marseillais pizza

Marseillais pizza in Marseille

Chez Etienne ★ 4.4

€ Pizzeria

Chez Etienne in Marseille's 2e Panier has cooked wood-fired Marseillais pizza since 1943, no menu and cash only, anchovy pizza around €15, supions.

TryAnchovy pizza, fried supions and grilled meats

TipCash only, no reservations; closed Wednesday and Sunday Cash is faster than card.

Directions

Chez Sauveur ★ 4.2

€ Sicilian

Chez Sauveur in Marseille's 1er Noailles has cooked Sicilian-rooted Marseillais pizza since 1943, the Pizza Speciale around €15, the cheapest wood-fired.

TrySicilian wood-fired pizza

TipClosed Sunday and Monday; takeaway saves the queue at peak Cash is faster than card.

Directions

Pizza Charly ★ 4.3

€ Pizzeria

Pizza Charly in Marseille's 1er Noailles slings pizza al taglio since 1962, €1 the slice, €2 the half pie, €4 to 6 whole, the cheapest serious pizza.

TryMarseillais pizza by the slice

TipThree locations (Noailles, Panier, Opera); takeaway is fastest.

Directions

Le Vieux Panier ★ 3.8

€€ Italian Pizzeria2e

Le Vieux Panier in Marseille's 2e on the Place de Lenche is a wood-fired pizzeria with a small terrace looking down toward the Vieux Port and the MUCEM.

OrderAny of the wood-fired pizzas; the terrace at sunset is the second order.

TipPlace de Lenche stairs descend straight to the old port; book the terrace for the view.

Directions

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