It’s hard to imagine a world without pizza, especially if you have teenagers! However, there was a time before pizza had been invented – B.P., if you will. So, who invented pizza, and where did it come from?
Bread: It’s what’s for dinner.
Once humans learned to create fire and mash grain, hot stones were used to cook a rudimentary form of bread dough, circa 10,000 years ago. It is believed that this form of flat bread evolved to carry toppings such as salt and animal fat or oil over the centuries. Many cultures cooked this kind of food, including the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. But where was pizza as we know it born?
Naples, Italy: birthplace of modern-day pizza.
The invention of modern-day pizza is credited to bakers in Naples, Italy, sometime in the 1700’s. Pizza was created as flattened dough, topped with garlic, salt, oil, and cheeses. In the late 1700’s, this delicious and humble food became a staple for the working class in the region of Campania, Italy, sold by street vendors. At first, the typical toppings were oil, garlic, herbs and cheese. Tomatoes, not native to Italy, were brought to Europe in the mid-1500’s, by Spanish explorers of South America, but were generally considered poisonous plants. Over the centuries, Italians began to experiment with tomatoes as food, and pomodoro sauce was born. Tomato sauce and sliced tomatoes quickly became a favorite addition to pizza pies. Mozzarella cheese, also original to Naples, became a common pizza topping in the 1800’s.
If you ever wondered why anchovies are a standard pizza topping offering, think about this: Naples is a port city, with the population becoming more crowded as you get closer to the water, and many homes did not have space for an oven or stove for cooking meals. Thus, street vendors offered pizza as a quick, affordable bite for workers in Naples. Adding small fish as an easily accessible protein on top of pizza dough makes a lot of sense if you live by the sea!
Pizza: a pie by any other name….
There are differing theories of when the word pizza was first invented. Some say the word came from “bizzo” or “pizzo,” meaning “bite,” as early as 7th century CE. Other scholars argue that it derived from the Greek word “pissa” or “pita” indicating a flat bread, sometimes covered with toppings. Eventually, the word pizza shows up in written documents in Italy, at least as far back as 1000 CE.
Legend has it that King Umberto I and Queen Margherita of Italy were in Naples in the year 1889, and became intrigued by this pervasive peasant dish called pizza. In honor of the royals, the chef of Pizzeria Brandi, Raffaele Esposito, created three different pizzas for the King and Queen to taste, including one pie with red tomatoes, white mozzarella cheese, and green basil to represent the colors of the Italian flag. Queen Margherita was so enamored of this pizza that he named the variety after her, and thus was born the Pizza Margherita we all know and love!
So pizza was a huge success in its native Italy, right? Well, not quite. Pizza remained a regional dish of Naples and the south of Italy well into the 1900s, only gaining widespread popularity after pizza went viral in America in the 1950’s-60’s. But how did pizza become an American staple?
“Hey, I’m eatin’ here!” ‘Za in New York City
Neapolitan Italian immigrants settling in New York brought their beloved pizza recipes with them, cooking them in their kitchens at home. In 1905, the first documented American Pizza restaurant was opened: Lombardi’s on Spring Street, in Manhattan. Part of the spread of pizza was due to American servicemen who spent time in Italy during World War II. They had gained a taste for pizza in Naples, and brought that affinity home with them. The delicious and affordable food became a favorite of New York’s working class society, and soon more pizzerias opened their doors in the city. These pizzerias used wood-fired or coal-fired pizza ovens, but an American veteran invented the gas-powered pizza oven, which was much easier and cheaper to operate. This led to the spread of pizzerias to the rest of the United States, gaining popularity in the 1950’s and 60’s. Eventually, demand for pizza spread back to Italy, as well, popularizing the dish across the country and beyond.
Today, pizza can be found in most countries around the world! Toppings in some locations can include exotic items such as crocodile, baked beans, peas, crab, peanuts, bananas, shrimp, and macaroni and cheese. (But not all on one pie!)
Ready to make your own pizza history? Check out the Casa Al Forno pizza peel and pizza rocker cutter set, which helps pizzas to slide in and out of the oven (or grill) with ease! The folding handle makes the peel compact for storage in your kitchen.