History Of Pizza

Page 1: The History Of Pizza

CAPSULE REPORT October is National Pizza Month. This most popular of American dishes started out as a primitive flatbread and cheese meal somewhere in the Mediterranean region. While pepperoni wins as America’s favorite topping, the folks at Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board—whose members make much of the great cheese that tops your pizzas—have developed some groovy recipes that let you defer the tried-and-true pepperoni, meatballs, mushrooms, onions and pepper for another day. So call your friends, tell them to bring the craft beer or artisan soda, and celebrate National Pizza Month in gourmet style. But before you hit the recipes, chow down on the history of pizza.

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The History Of Pizza

The history of pizza is relatively recent, given how old flat breads and cheese are in man’s cuisine. As far back as 8,000 B.C.E., man knew how to mix flour with water and heat it on a hot stone to create a flat bread (see the history of bread). The earliest cheesemaking began about 5,500 B.C.E. The pizza, if it is defined as baked flat bread covered with cheese, could have been invented by the Greeks, the Phoenicians, the people who would become the Romans or anyone in the greater Mediterranean area of the time. It is said that the idea of using bread as a plate came from the Greeks, who ate flat round bread (plankuntos) baked and seasoned with an assortment of toppings. It was used instead of plates and utensils to sop up broth or gravies, eaten by the working man and his family as a thrifty, convenient and tasty food.

The key element that turned them into what we know today as pizza is the tomato, which was brought to Europe from the Americas in the 16th century. This was the yellow cherry tomato, and as a member of the Nightshade family of plants, it was believed by many Europeans to be poisonous. The tomato was enjoyed as a houseplant. However, famine in the 18th century caused the fruit to be eaten by the poor, and no one died. The poor in the area around Naples then added tomato to their flatbread, often serving it as their main meal with melted cheese and/or anchovies, and thus the pizza was born. (So was tomato sauce for pasta and other dishes.)

All of today’s tomato varieties were bred from the original tomato, a yellow cherry tomato that grew wild in Peru.

Pizza gained in popularity, sold from open-air stands by street vendors, and soon became a tourist attraction. Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba in Naples, Italy is regarded as the world’s first pizzeria. It began as a pizza bakery in 1738, providing street vendors with pizzas, but in 1830 expanded to include a pizza restaurant with chairs and tables. It remains in business today. Pizza arrived in the U.S. with the first wave of Italian immigrants in the late 19th century.

Pizza: An American Favorite

Depending on which survey you read, pizza or burgers is usually America’s favorite food. Our modern version of pizza is widely credited to a Don Raffaele of Naples. Queen Margherita (1851-1926) of Spain requested that he make her a special pizza, so he created one with basil, mozzarella cheese and tomatoes, which compose the colors of the Italian flag (green, white and red). The pie was thus named the “Margherita Pizza.”

The first American pizzeria opened as early as 1905, but it wasn’t until American GI’s returned from Italy in World War II that the dish really took off. Soldiers stationed there had become so attached to the pie while abroad that they demanded more of it once they returned home.

In the 1960s, the pizza industry expanded from local pizzerias, to large chains, home delivery and a vast selection of frozen pizzas in retail stores (check out one of our favorites, from Pizza Romana). Today, pepperoni ranks as the favorite topping, followed by mushrooms, extra cheese, sausage, green peppers and onions. The options are endless when it comes to homemade pizza, though. In addition to the twelve recipes that follow, let your imagination be your guide. After all, how far wrong can you go with pizza?

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Gourmet Pizza Recipes

Page 1: The History Of Pizza

The History Of Pizza

Pizza: An American Favorite