Pizza: A History

Pizza, or “pita” as it was originally know (our modern name for it is a long standing mispronunciation), has a long history in the Mediterranean and several cultures, from the greeks to the phoenicians, ate a flatbread made from dough that was cooked on a hot stone and seasoned with herbs. The greeks called this early version of pizza “plankuntos” and it served as a sort of plate for eating stews on top of much in the same way that we would use a bread bowl today for different soups. It has little resemblance to what we would call pizza today but it is quite like modern focaccia. These early forms of pizza were eaten in many parts of the world and were often praised by ancient historians.

Pizza as we know it today didn’t really develop until about the 18th century when peasants in the area around Naples began to use tomatoes on top of their yeast-based flat bread. Tomatoes were thought by many to be poisonous (as other members of the nightshade family are) but it became common for the peasants to use them and soon it caught on with most Europeans and became very popular. Pizza was sold in open air stands and out of pizza bakeries up until about 1830 after which the Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba was opened which is widely regarded as the original pizzeria of the city and still serves pizza from the same premises today. Pizza in Naples is an almost religious experience and thy recognize only the two “original” forms of pizza and as true puritans, serve nothing else. These two early forms of pizza were called the Marinara and the Margherita and these are the types of pizza preferred by many italians today. The Marinara consists of tomato sauce, garlic, oregano, and extra virgin olive oil while the Margherita is made with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil.

Naples is so strict when it comes to the history and authenticity of their pizza that they even have an association (The True Neapolitan Pizza Association) which was founded in 1984 and has very specific regulations and standards for what pizza they will recognize as authentic. These regulations monitor everything from how the pizza is kneaded, the diameter, the cooking times and temperatures, even to the type of oven that it is cooked in.

Pizza of course made it’s way to America with the arrival of italian immigrants in the late 19th century and proved popular in big cities like San Francisco, Chicago, and New York. The first pizzeria in America is disputed but generally believed to be formed in Manhattan with a close followup to one in the Trenton area of New Jersey. Pizza gained in popularity when soldiers that had spent time in World War II eating italian food straight from italy came home looking for similar cuisine. A few years later pizza began to spring up in local restaurant, commercial pizza pie mixes were made, and was even featured in a 1957 broadcast on Canadian television.

Today pizza is dominated by popular chains such as Dominos, Pizza Hut, Papa Johns and Godfathers Pizza. There are endless varieties of it and tons of fun ways to customize and try new things with it. Pizza is a popular food for any occasion and has become synonymous with many cultural aspects of American life. Now that you know more about the history of pizza have fun making modern recipes and enjoying your pizza at a restaurant or at home!