Pizza di Molti Strati – A Renaissance Baklava-Style Pastry with Elderflower & Rosewater
Despite the familiar name, this 16th-century “pizza” from Scappi bears no resemblance to modern flatbreads. Instead, it’s a delicate multi-layered pastry, brushed with butter, dusted with sugar and elderflower, and bathed in rosewater syrup. It’s likely a descendant of early Middle Eastern “baklava”‑style desserts—transmitted along Silk Road routes and adopted by Italian Renaissance cooks.
Historical Background
The tradition of layered pastry desserts originates in Middle Eastern and Byzantine cuisines. A 13th-century Arabic confection called lauzinaj—almond paste wrapped in ultra-thin dough and drenched in syrup—was an early ancestor to European versions. Phyllo dough itself traces back to Ancient Greek and Ottoman pastry techniques.
By the 16th century, Italian cooks like Scappi adapted the concept into a simplified “cold layered pizza,” blending Western sugars, elderflower, and rosewater into a visually striking—yet humble—pastry.
A Historical Journey Through Layered Pastry
This “pizza di molti strati” connects to a rich, layered history of syrup-drenched pastry desserts—evolving from Greco-Roman flat cakes to Byzantine, Arabic, and Ottoman specialties, finally taking elegant form in Renaissance Italy.
- Greco-Roman plakous & placenta – Layered pastries with dough, cheese, and honey. Cato the Elder’s placenta cake describes alternating layers of dough and cheese, baked and sweetened with honey.
- Byzantine koptoplakous – A nut-filled, syrup-drenched cake from Constantinople, widely regarded as an early form of baklava. Cited in culinary studies on Byzantine dessert culture.
- Arabic lauzinaj – Medieval almond paste pastries wrapped in thin dough and scented with rosewater. See: Scents and Flavors – Early Baklava Recipe.
- Ottoman Baklava & Phyllo Mastery – Ottoman chefs refined paper-thin dough layering in imperial kitchens. Syrups, nuts, and floral waters became standard. See Baklava – Wikipedia.
- Italian Renaissance Adaptation – Scappi’s 1570 *pizza di molti strati* replaces nuts with elderflower, and introduces a cold-serving presentation. It reflects Italy’s interpretation of a global dessert tradition.
🍽️ What’s in a Name? A Slice of Pizza’s Etymology
The word pizza may conjure images of tomato sauce and cheese—but its linguistic roots tell a far older story. The earliest known use dates to 997 CE in a Latin document from Gaeta, Italy, referring to a simple “focaccia”-style bread. But where the term *actually* comes from remains debated:- Ancient Greek pikte ("fermented pastry") or pitta ("flatbread")
- Latin pinsa (from pinsere, “to press or flatten”)
- Old High German bizzo or pizzo (“a bite” or “mouthful”)
- Italian pizzicare (“to pluck” quickly from the oven)
- Even Aramaic pita, referring to flatbread
Source: Linguistic and historical research courtesy of Jim Chevallier. For more, see discussions on Facebook and works on bread and early pizza history.
Original Recipe (Scappi, 1570)
“Per fare la pizza di molti strati, comunemente freddi pasta secca a strati: pigli uno foglio di pasta tirata sottile... tra ciascuno spargi burro, zucchero, ed erbe di sambuco... e quando è cotta servi fredda con zucchero e acqua di rose.”
—Bartolomeo Scappi, Opera dell’arte del cucinare (1570)
Modern English Translation
“To make a pizza of many layers, commonly served cold: take a sheet of pasta rolled out thin... between each one sprinkle butter, sugar, and elder flowers... and when it is cooked, serve cold with sugar and rosewater.”
Renaissance Kitchen Imagery
Woodcut from Scappi’s Opera (1570), showing layered pastry prep and kitchen tools.
“Pizza di Molti Strati” Recipe (Scappi, 1570)
Ingredients
- ½ pack filo (phyllo) dough (homemade if time allows)
- ¼ lb butter, melted
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp dried elderflower
- Rosewater, to drizzle
Method
- Preheat oven to 400 °F (or follow filo package instructions).
- Keep melted butter warm. Lay one sheet of filo in a greased tart pan.
- Brush with butter, dust with sugar & elderflower. Layer three sheets, then repeat until 12 sheets are used, finishing with sugar & elderflower.
- Slice into triangles. Bake until golden brown.
- Let cool, then serve cold with a drizzle of rosewater.
If serving a small group, homemade phyllo is highly recommended—it adds freshness and flavor.
Elderflower and rosewater were prized in Renaissance kitchens for their fragrance and humoral balance. In this pastry, they elevate simple layers into something aromatic, symbolic, and beautiful.
Trays of Pizza di Molti Strati and Mele Cotogne stufate con pignoli, acqua rosa, e zuccaro — quince stewed with pine nuts, rosewater, and sugar — ready for service at Flaming Gryphon 12th Night, 2024.
Want to make this for your next feast? Try homemade filo—it’s elegant, surprisingly satisfying, and perfect with a cup of warm spiced tea.
