When you travel to Naples, Italy, food is as big a highlight as all the sites and Italian culture. This is the city where pizza was invented, and hundreds of restaurants in Naples specialize in pizza. So while you're in town, you must try the Neapolitan specialities.
Buy some mozzarella di bufala (buffalo mozzarella), which originated in Naples. This is not your typical mozzarella. The mozzarella di bufala comes from the unpasteurized rich milk of water buffalos. The Mozzarella Company indicates this cheese is still made fresh daily south of Naples near Battipaglia and Caserta.
Try several kinds of pizza. The two classic pizzas are the marinara and the margherita. Marinara comes with tomatoes, garlic, oregano and olive oil. Margherita comes with tomato, mozzarella, and a few leaves of basil. Once you've tried those, Fodor's travel guide recommends trying other versions, such as siciliana (with eggplant), diavola (spicy salami) or cappricciosa (chef's choice).
Start one of your big meals with a traditional first course of spaghetti con le vongole -- spaghetti with fresh clams. Naples is close to the sea and offers some of the freshest seafood.
For dessert, order Pastiera. A special occasion Neapolitan cake made with ricotta cheese, eggs, and wheat. The cake (though to Americans it would appear more like a cheese pie) is soft and typically served for Christmas and Easter.
If you can't find pastiera, try baba, a little yeast cake saturated in rum. Typically, they are about 2 inches but you can also find a large baba.
