History
A Brief History of Pizza
The exact birthplace of the pizza is something that is disputed among many cultures of the Mediterranean and the Middle and Near East. We do know that the Egyptians (32nd – 1st century BCE), Babylonians (18th – 17th century BCE), Phoenicians (16th – 3rd century BCE), Greeks (12th century – 2nd century BCE), and the Persians (8th – 6th century BCE) all had a version of what might be considered crude or primitive forms what we consider a pizza today. All of these cultures ate a regional form of flatbread and they would bake these breads with local toppings to add flavor. But that does not necessarily make a pizza, though it might have been the inspiration for what would eventually become the pizza.
History of the Components
The first recorded recipe for a pizza was written down in the 1st century BCE by a Roman poet by the name of Publius Vergilius Maro better known as Virgil. But that recipe also called for flatbread.
In the 10th century the word “picea” was being used to describe a food made in round dough, topped with ingredients, and baked.
In the 16th century, Spain started to import tomatoes from their colonies in Mexico and Peru. Spain had a tough time trading the tomatoes in Europe because it was thought they were poisonous.
The 17th century saw the acceptance of tomatoes by the peasants of Napoli who put it on their flatbread to add flavor along with olive oil, lard, cheese, and herbs. Spanish soldiers traveling through Napoli helped to spread the word of this great treat and soon tourists were headed to Napoli just to try a pizza.
Flatbread pizzas were sold in the streets of Italy in the 18th century but they were usually sold with minimal toppings or without any toppings and used to soak up a broth or gravy. It was a basic food of poor Italian peasants.
Mozzarella di Bufala or mozzarella cheese made from the milk of Indian water buffalo was introduced to Italy in the 18th century and revolutionized the idea of the pizza.
The first pizzeria is believed to have opened in Napoli, Italy in the 19th century. That same century a baker by the name of Raffaele Esposito baked a pizza for the Italian King Umberto I and his Queen Margherita. He used buffalo mozzarella, basil, and tomato sauce to resemble the colors of the Italian flag. The Queen was so impressed with the creation that Esposito named his creation, “Pizza Margherita,” in honor of the Queen.
The 19th century sees regional distinctions in pizza toppings and the race for the best pizza is on. Bologna started creating pizzas with various meats as toppings. Napoli added garlic, crumbly regional cheese, and fresh vegetables to its masterpiece.
The first American pizzeria was opened in the early part of the 20th century by Gennaro Lombardi in New York City. However, the pizza had already made an American debut in the middle of the 19th century with Italian immigrants to the U.S.
In the middle of the 20th century the Chicago deep-dish pizza was invented by Ike Sewell.
Today in 2008, it is estimated that Americans eat about 100 acres of pizza every day.
