Pinsa replaces Acqua e Farina pizzeria in Syosset

It certainly looks like pizza. But the bubbling, round flatbread coming out of the oven at Pinsa in Syosset is, in fact, pinsa, a close-but-not-identical relation that lends its name to the two-month-old establishment.

Pinsa is a Roman specialty that dates back at least two millennia. Its origins are shrouded in mystery but the modern version is made not only with wheat but with other flours (rice, soy, oat, millet, etc.) so that it can be a bit lower in gluten. And whereas pizza dough is stretched and topped in one fell swoop, today’s pinsa crusts are par-baked naked, and then topped and finished when they are ordered. The combination of the dough’s composition and the double baking gives them a distinctive delicacy and crunch.

Syosset’s Pinsa was, until September, a pizzeria called Acqua E Farina where chef-owner Luca Pizzuti had been slinging Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizza since 2018. Pizzuti, who grew up near Rome and was a longtime pinsa partisan, said a few factors that led him to make the switch.

Last year, New York City passed a law that required wood- and coal-fired pizza ovens to adhere to new ventilation / filtering standards. Pizzuti wondered how long it would take Nassau County to adopt similar regulations, and decided, "before it gets to Long Island, let’s do pinsa."

Whereas pizza dough benefits from the intense heat of a wood-fired oven, for pinsa, "it’s overkill," Pizzuti said. "Pinsa needs to be cooked gently." The electric ovens he now uses not only run cleaner, they require much less skill to operate. And, because the shells are made in a facility in Brooklyn, he needn’t employ anyone in Syosset who knows how to make or stretch dough. His pinsa dough is made with wheat flour and rice flour, making it comparatively lower in gluten than all-wheat pizza dough. That composition, plus the long fermentation it undergoes, Pizzuti said, seems to make it more digestible for gluten avoiders but, he hastens to add, it is not gluten free.

Ultimately, though, he loves the taste and texture of pinsa and how well it takes to toppings both traditional — American-style shredded mozzarella and tomato sauce, a Margherita made with fresh mozzarella, "Bufalina" with buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and arugula — and fanciful — a pistachio pie also features mozzarella, ricotta and caramelized onions; there’s even a blueberry pie made with mozzarella, prosciutto, goat cheese and a drizzle of honey. Individual 12-inch pies range from $13.99 to $18.99. On Fridays and Saturdays, large rectangular pies (17-by-12-inch) are also available.

Pinsa dough is also crafted into 10 fresh sandwiches ($16.99 to $17.99) whose fillings include ham, Gouda and arugula; mortadella, pistachio cream and stracciatella; salami, provolone, banana peppers and arugula; porchetta, Gorgonzola and honey.

Don’t bother to bring cash to Pinsa, it’s credit card-only.

Pinsa, 43 Berry Hill Rd., Syosset, 516-802-2272, pinsasyosset.com. Open Wednesday to Thursday 4 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday noon to 9 p.m., Sunday 4 to 9 p.m.