It’s the crust that gets you first. As chef Carmine Constantini rolls a round blade across the pinsa he’s just pulled from the oven, there’s a bright, crisp crunching sound that makes it clear if it wasn’t already: this cheese-oozy margherita isn’t a pizza.

There is already a clue in the shape: long and rectangular, more like a pide than the traditional round pizza pie. And if you’re observant, you’ll have seen the lettering on the shop window that spells it out: “Pinsa is not pizza.”

So what is pinsa, then? It has ancient Roman origins – a pressed bread made with a variety of peasant-grown grains – but its modern incarnation dates back just 20 years or so when Rome’s flour-merchant Di Marco family developed a new blend. Their mix of wheat, soy and rice flour is conducive to making an extra wet dough that loves a long maturation. The proportions of each grain? If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you.

After resting for two to three days, the dough develops extraordinary balloon-like bubbles. It’s baked, cooled and rested, then topped and cooked again. The twice-cooked result is a light, digestible, crunchy-based pinsa that’s exciting to eat and easy on the stomach.

Two decades later, there are more than 7000 pinseria around the world, including a few in Melbourne. Constantini isn’t the only one predicting that this new-style not-pizza is on the verge of sweeping the city.

He serves his pinsa in a tiny shop (liquor licence pending) on the St Kilda Road hill. There are 10 seats and an outside bistro table but takeaway is the main aim.

Toppings are classic (margherita, napoli, carbonara), seasonal (the fridge is full of pine mushrooms this autumn) and also crazy (the Giulio Cesare comes with tomato granita and caviar; $120).

Whether humble or fancy, the toppings are high quality but the base is the point of difference: fluffy and crisp, light in texture but hearty in flavour, a perfect pizza that isn’t.

The long ferment is a factor in flavour but also the way the body takes it in. Constantini’s gluten-intolerant customers tell him they feast on pinsa with no problems.

Constantini isn’t the only one predicting that this new-style not-pizza is on the verge of sweeping the city.

Carmine Constantini was born in Italy but has spent more time cooking in Victoria than his homeland. His most recent restaurant was Pasta Adagio, which he closed in 2019, and before that Osteria Passione, on the same site in Richmond. He is passionate about game cooking and his fans will recall adventures in wild Australian meats, including dinners that featured wallaby, emu and possum.

He spent time in Italy over the past few years, encountered pinsa for the first time, became obsessed and hooked into his new direction.

Pre-cooked bases are available in some premium grocers: look for them at Toscano’s, Boccaccio Cellars and The Fruiterer’s Wife, among others, with instructions for finishing in home ovens.

Viva la pinsa rivoluzione!