Thespelt doughis pizza dough made with spelt flour instead of common wheat flour. First, it is worth stating what it is not: it is not gluten-free, it is not a diet dough and it is not suitable for people with coeliac disease. What it is: a different flour, with a different flavour and a different response in the pizzaiolo’s hands.

What is spelt?

Spelt (Triticum spelta), also known as dinkel wheat, is a species of wheat cultivated for thousands of years in Europe and the Near East. It is ahexaploid wheat: it has six sets of seven chromosomes, forty-two in total, exactly like the bread wheat we use today.

This matters because it challenges the claim most often made about it. Spelt is often presented as a “pure” or “unhybridised” grain, in contrast to supposedly manipulated modern wheat. That is not the case:spelt is also the result of crosses between wheats, and genetically it is a very close relative of ordinary wheat. Its appeal lies not in its purity, but in how it behaves in dough.

It contains gluten and is not suitable for people with coeliac disease

This comes before anything else, because there is a lot of misinformation.Spelt contains gluten.It is not an alternative for people with coeliac disease, nor for anyone with a wheat allergy: it is so closely related to common wheat that it cannot be recommended as a substitute.

Its nutritional composition is alsovery similar to that of common wheat. Some values differ — it has slightly more riboflavin and niacin — but these are not two foods in different categories. Be wary if someone sells spelt pizza as a healthy pizza or one for people with intolerances: flavour is the reason to order it, not health.

If you have coeliac disease, diagnosed gluten sensitivity or any food allergy,always ask the restaurant team on every visitbefore ordering. The allergens for each dish are listed on theMenu.

What spelt does to pizza dough

Here is the real reason some pizzerias use it, and why many do not:spelt gluten is weaker and more fragilethan bread wheat gluten. It contains protein, but forms a network that stretches less and breaks sooner.

For the person kneading it, this means three things:

• Less room for error. It is easy to go too far: a little too much kneading and the dough loses its structure.
• More delicate stretching. It cannot take the same handling as classic Neapolitan dough, so it needs more care and less haste.
• Fermentation is no longer optional. With weak gluten, time does the work that flour strength does in other doughs.

On the plate, the result is unmistakable:a darker colour, a slightly denser crumb and a more toasted flavour, with undertones often described as walnut or hazelnut. Wheat-based Neapolitan dough is milder and lighter; spelt dough has more character and stands up better to strongly flavoured toppings.

Why it is made with sourdough

Flour with fragile gluten and a long fermentation need each other. Sourdough and time turn a difficult flour into a workable dough: the gluten network relaxes, the dough becomes more extensible without being forced, and fermentation aromas develop, making up half the flavour of a good pizza.

It is the same logic as Neapolitan dough, except that here it is essential: without a long fermentation, spelt dough simply does not turn out well.

Spelt dough at ÔVEN

At ÔVEN, spelt pizza is made withorganic spelt sourdough, using the sametriple fermentationas our house Neapolitan dough, with ovens fired up from first thing in the morning. The kitchen is led by chefFabio Morisi, a Neapolitan master pizzaiolo. Read about how we work inabout ÔVEN.

The formula did not come from a catalogue. It was developed by master artisanRoberto Briscianiin our own laboratory, seeking the point at which spelt could support pizza dough without losing its flavour. The grain is milled slowly, in a process closer to centuries-old methods than industrial ones, preserving its nutty flavour and producing a crisp edge. When we added it to the menu, the food bloggastronomiaymoda.comdescribed us asthe first Italian restaurant in Spain to offer pizzas made with organic spelt sourdough.

Its more toasted character works especially well with ingredients that hold their own:

• Pizza Regina Margherita — with tomato, mozzarella and basil, the contrast with spelt’s toasted undertones really stands out.
• Rustic vegetable pizza — an organic tomato base with vegetables: rustic dough topped with produce from the garden.
• Burrata and Iberian ham pizza — the creaminess of Burrata, added uncooked as the pizza comes out of the oven, balances a more substantial dough.
• Truffle, guanciale and poached egg pizza — bold flavours that need a dough capable of supporting them.

How to order it: any pizza on the menu can be ordered with spelt doughinstead of classic Neapolitan dough. Just mention it when booking or ordering at the table, and the team will confirm the price. See all our pizzas on theMenuand book atBookings.

Find us at eight addresses in Madrid —Preciados, Gran Vía 6, Gran Vía 55, Fuencarral, Atocha, Prado, BernabéuandLas Tablas— and inMurcia.

Summary: spelt dough

What it is	Pizza dough made with spelt flour (Triticum spelta) instead of common wheat
Gluten	Yes, it contains gluten.Not suitable for people with coeliac diseaseor a wheat allergy
Nutrition	Very similar to common wheat. Not a “healthy” or diet dough
What its gluten is like	Weaker and more fragile: the dough stretches less and breaks sooner
As a result	It needs a long fermentation and more careful stretching
Flavour	More toasted, with walnut or hazelnut undertones
Appearance and texture	Darker colour, slightly denser crumb, more character
What it pairs well with	Strongly flavoured ingredients: truffle, guanciale, aged cheeses, roasted vegetables
At ÔVEN	Organic spelt sourdough with triple fermentation. Available for any pizza on the menu

Frequently asked questions

Is spelt pizza suitable for people with coeliac disease?

No. Spelt is a type of wheat andcontains gluten. It is unsuitable for coeliac disease or wheat allergy because it is genetically very close to common wheat. If you have coeliac disease, always speak to the restaurant team before ordering any dish.

Is it healthier than regular dough?

Not to any significant extent. Spelt’s nutritional composition is very similar to common wheat: some values differ, such as riboflavin and niacin, but not enough to call it a healthier option. Choose it for its flavour and texture; that is reason enough.

Why does it taste different if it is wheat?

Because it has a different aromatic profile and is usually milled with more of the grain retained, giving it that toasted note and darker colour. The difference is most noticeable in the pizza crust, where you taste the dough on its own.

Is it true that spelt is not hybridised?

No. It is a widely repeated marketing claim, but spelt is also the result of crosses between wheats and shares bread wheat’s hexaploid genetic structure, with forty-two chromosomes. It is an ancient wheat, not an untouched one.

Can any pizza be ordered with spelt dough?

Yes. Any pizza on the menu can be made with spelt dough instead of Neapolitan dough. Just ask when booking or at the table, and the team will confirm the price. We suggest starting with a pizza with bold toppings, where spelt dough shines most.

Is it harder to make than regular dough?

Yes, which is why it is not widely offered. Fragile gluten leaves less room for error: the dough is easily overworked, tears sooner when stretched and requires proper fermentation. Poorly fermented spelt dough does not turn out average; it turns out badly.

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The history of Italian cuisine is the story of twenty regional cuisines rather than a single cuisine. They share three principles — seasonal produce, simple techniques and respect for inherited recipes — and developed over almost 3,000 years of invasions, trade and home cooking. In December 2025, UNESCO recognised it as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity: the first time an entire country’s cuisine had been recognised, rather than a specific dish or technique.

The milestones that shaped Italian cuisine

Period	Milestone	Contribution to the cuisine
8th–6th centuries BC	Etruscans in the centre and Greek colonies in the south	Olives, vines and wheat: the Mediterranean foundation
2nd century BC–5th century AD	Rome	Garum(fermented fish sauce),lagana— sheets of dough, a precursor to lasagne — and preservation techniques
9th–11th centuries	Islamic Sicily (827–1091)	Citrus fruit, rice, cane sugar, almonds and marzipan, sorbets anditriyya: dried pasta
15th–16th centuries	The Renaissance and court cuisine	The first printed cookbooks and cooking as a profession
16th century	Tomatoes arrive from the Americas	They take two centuries to enter the kitchen, then change everything
18th century	Pizza is born in Naples	Neapolitan street food becomes Italy’s most widely exported dish
1861	The unification of Italy	Until then, there was no “Italian cuisine”, only the cuisines of separate kingdoms
1891	Pellegrino Artusi publishesLa scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene	The first cookbook to bring together recipes from across the peninsula
2010	ThePizza Napoletanareceives European TSG status	Traditional Speciality Guaranteed: the method is protected in writing
December 2025	Italian cuisine becomes UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage	The whole tradition is recognised: produce, recipes and the rituals of the table

The three moments that changed everything

1. The tomato, which took two centuries to gain acceptance

The tomato reached Europe from the Americas in the 16th century, but was not eaten in Italy until well into the 18th. It was grown as an ornamental plant and suspected of being poisonous, because it belongs to the same family as deadly nightshade.

Once accepted, it rewrote southern cuisine in a generation:pomodoro sauce, pizza as we know it,parmigianawith aubergine, Sicilian caponata. This is worth remembering because it puts the whole timeline in perspective:what now seems the very essence of Italian cuisine is barely 250 years old. The other 2,700 were about olive oil, wheat, cheese and wine.

2. Neapolitan pizza in the 18th century

Rome already hadpanis focacius, a flatbread with oil and herbs from which focaccia descends. But pizza — fermented dough, a very hot oven and tomato on top — was born inNaples in the 18th centuryas street food: cheap, quick and all in one piece, to be eaten standing up.

The best-known story says that in 1889, pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito dedicated a pizza with tomato, mozzarella and basil — the three colours of the flag — to Queen Margherita of Savoy. It is a good story, though undocumented beyond tradition, but the name stuck.

What is documented is the method. Since 2010,Pizza Napoletanahas held European Union TSG(Traditional Speciality Guaranteed) status, which sets the flour type, fermentation, diameter and baking method. Unlike a designation of origin, it does not protect a place: it protects a way of making it anywhere in the world.

3. Artusi and the invention of “Italian cuisine”

Italy did not exist as a country until 1861. Before then, there were kingdoms, duchies and papal states, each with its own cuisine, dialect and pantry. Nobody spoke of Italian cuisine because no such thing existed by that name.

In 1891,Pellegrino Artusi— a merchant from Romagna, born in Forlimpopoli and based in Florence — published at his own expenseLa scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene: 790 recipes collected region by region, written in everyday Italian rather than court-kitchen jargon. It was the book that taught a newly formed country that it shared a common cuisine.

Italian cuisine was not designed: it accumulated in layers, whenever someone arrived on the peninsula with something new in their hands.

Regional cuisines: north, centre and south

The boundary that truly divides Italian cuisine is agricultural rather than political:where there are pastures, there is butter and aged cheese; where there are olive groves, there is olive oil and tomato. Almost every difference between north and south stems from this.

North: Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Piedmont

• Butter rather than olive oil, thanks to livestock farming in the Po Valley.
• Fresh egg pasta and filled pasta: tagliatelle, tortellini, agnolotti.
• Long-aged cheeses: Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, Gorgonzola.
• Rice instead of pasta in much of Piedmont and Lombardy: risotto.
• Its defining dish: tagliatelle al ragù from Bologna. Egg pasta, because ragù needs a porous ribbon to absorb it.

Centre: Lazio, Tuscany, Umbria

• Extra virgin olive oil and grilled meats.
• Dried semolina pasta and sauces with very few ingredients.
• Sheep’s cheese and cured pork: Pecorino Romano and guanciale, the foundations of Roman cuisine.
• Its defining dish is carbonara from Rome. Egg yolk, Pecorino, guanciale and black pepper. No cream: the creamy sauce comes from emulsifying egg yolk and cheese with pasta cooking water.

South and islands: Campania, Puglia, Sicily

• Tomato, olive oil and dried pasta: the southern trio.
• Fresh buffalo and cow’s milk cheeses: mozzarella di bufala in Campania, burrata and stracciatella in Puglia.
• Arab heritage in Sicily: citrus fruit, almonds, raisins and pine nuts in savoury dishes, and the whole tradition of marzipan pastries.
• Its defining dishes: Neapolitan pizza, Burrata from Puglia and caponata from Sicily.

For a closer look at one of these families, see our separate articles ontypes of Italian pastaandWhat burrata is and how it differs from mozzarella.

What makes Italian cuisine authentic?

Outside Italy, many dishes have Italian names but do not exist in Italy. The difference comes down to two things, and neither is price.

The recipe is not “improved”

Carbonara contains no cream; Bolognese ragù is served with tagliatelle, not spaghetti; Genoese pesto is basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmigiano and Pecorino, and nothing else. This is not purism: each recipe is the result of centuries of refinement, and shortcuts added elsewhere almost always solve a fast-cooking problem rather than a flavour problem.

The ingredients have an origin you can verify

The European Union protects the key ingredients of this cuisine by production area, and those designations can be found on a menu:Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP, Burrata di Andria IGP, Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, Pecorino Romano DOP. When a restaurant names them, it tells you where its ingredients come from; when it just says “Italian cheese”, it tells you nothing.

Where to try authentic Italian cuisine in Madrid

The firstÔVENopened in2014on Calle Fuencarral, founded by Joaquín and Paco Capel with one simple idea: Italian cuisine without adaptations. Since then:

• 2014 — the first ÔVEN opens on Calle Fuencarral.
• 2015 — Gran Vía arrives, bringing ÔVEN to central Madrid.
• 2017 — five Italian restaurants in Madrid: Bernabéu, Atocha, Las Tablas, Preciados and Gran Vía.
• 2026 — eight restaurants in Madrid and one in Murcia, more than 400,000 diners a year and a team of over 200 people.

The kitchen is led bychef Fabio Morisi, a Neapolitan master pizzaiolo with more than twenty years of pizza-making experience. Read the full story inabout ÔVEN.

At the table, this comes down to two concrete choices:mozzarella, flour, guanciale and Pecorino brought directly from Italy, andtriple-fermented doughwith the ovens fired up from first thing in the morning.

On theMenuyou can follow this article’s journey region by region:

• Naples — Pizza Originale (yellow datterino tomatoes, guanciale, mozzarella, burrata and basil), Pizza Regina Margherita and Pizza Diavola.
• Rome — The Original Carbonara, with egg yolk, crisp guanciale, Pecorino and black pepper, without cream. And Paccheri Cacio e Pepe.
• Bologna — Tagliatelle Bologna: egg pasta with beef Bolognese ragù and Parmigiano.
• Liguria — Tagliatelle al Pesto, with Genoese basil and pine nut pesto.
• Campania and Puglia — ÔVEN burrata and buffalo mozzarella DOP Campana with layered tomatoes.
• Sicily — Tagliatelle with Sicilian vegetable caponata: aubergine, tomato, celery and capers.

Find us at eight addresses in Madrid —Preciados, Gran Vía 6, Gran Vía 55, Fuencarral, Atocha, Prado, BernabéuandLas Tablas— and inMurcia, on Plaza de Julián Romea.

Summary: the history of Italian cuisine

Antiquity	Around 3,000 years: Etruscan and Greek Mediterranean foundations, plus Roman techniques
Arab heritage	Sicily, 827–1091: citrus fruit, almonds, sugar, sorbets and dried pasta
The arrival of tomatoes	16th century from the Americas; used in cooking from the 18th century
The birth of pizza	Naples, 18th century, as street food
Pizza Margherita	1889, according to the best-known story, in honour of Queen Margherita of Savoy
The first national cookbook	1891, Pellegrino Artusi, La scienza in cucina
Pizza Napoletana TSG	Recognised by the European Union in 2010
UNESCO heritage	December 2025: Italian cuisine becomes Intangible Cultural Heritage
Regional cuisines	20 regions, chiefly divided between butter and cheese in the north and olive oil and tomato in the south
How to recognise authenticity	Recipes without shortcuts and ingredients with DOP or IGP designations named on the menu

Frequently asked questions

How old is Italian cuisine?

Around 3,000 years, if counted from when the Etruscans and Greeks established olives, vines and wheat on the peninsula between the 8th and 6th centuries BC. But the Italian cuisine we recognise today, based on tomatoes, is much more recent: it goes back no further than the 18th century.

Did pizza exist in ancient Rome?

There was a precursor,panis focacius: a flatbread with oil and herbs, from which focaccia developed. Pizza as we know it today, with tomato and cheese on fermented dough, originated in Naples in the 18th century, after tomatoes entered the kitchen.

Why does Italian cuisine vary so much from region to region?

For two overlapping reasons. The first is agricultural: the north has pastures, hence butter and aged cheeses; the south has olive groves and sunshine, hence olive oil and tomatoes. The second is political: Italy was not unified until 1861, so each territory developed its cuisine independently for centuries.

What did Arab rule bring to Sicily?

Much more than is usually mentioned. Between 827 and 1091, Sicily gained citrus fruit, rice, cane sugar, almonds and raisins, sorbets anditriyya, the dried pasta strands that are the direct ancestor of spaghetti. Sicilian marzipan pastries and combinations of sweet and savoury come from this heritage.

Why does carbonara contain no cream?

Because it never did. Its creaminess comes from emulsifying egg yolk and grated Pecorino with hot pasta cooking water and guanciale fat. Cream is a shortcut from outside Italy that makes the dish more stable, but also less distinctive.

Is Italian cuisine recognised by UNESCO?

Yes, since 10 December 2025. The Intangible Heritage Committee inscribed it at its twentieth session in New Delhi. It was the first time an entire country’s cuisine had been recognised: not only the dishes, but also the passing of recipes between generations and the rituals of the table.

How can you tell whether an Italian restaurant in Madrid is authentic?

Make two quick checks on the menu. The recipes should be unchanged — carbonara without cream, ragù with tagliatelle rather than spaghetti — and the ingredients should have a stated origin, with DOP and IGP designations written out. If the menu names Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP or Burrata di Andria IGP, it tells you where the food on your plate comes from.

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