History of Pizza: 10 Things to Know

History of Pizza: 10 Things to Know

Pizza is a dish that has gained global sensation and a huge following of die-hard pizza lovers. Pizza has a long history that dates back to the Romans, Greeks and Egyptians who consumed flatbread with some toppings. However, the birthplace of the modern pizza that people love is the Campania region in the southwest of Italy close to Naples.

Therefore, this article will give the reader some knowledge about the dish that is well-liked by many. The article will also equip the reader with critical knowledge of how the dish came into existence and what influenced it.

1 Pizza dates back to the Neolithic period

A picture of pizza being baked on a wood stove-Wikimedia

The flatbread was one of the most common foods during the Neolithic era, especially among the poor who couldn’t afford plates. That is why, for a long time, many people looked down on flatbread dishes, viewing them as a have-nots’ staple.

Flatbread dishes and what appear to be early pizzas have been discovered in the Pompeii ruins. Flatbreads with oil and other ingredients have been prepared for thousands of years, much like modern pizza and focaccia. People baked the bread on a warm stone or in mud ovens before topping it with herbs and mushrooms.

2 It may have originated from the Middle East

Most historians believe that these assembled pizzas were the favourite food of all ancient Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians. Pisna is a popular type of pizza in Rome. It was said to be a flatbread-like dish served to the gods. “Pisna” literally means “stretching, squeezing.” The fact that the Egyptians were making flatbread in the Neolithic era can mean that the origin of the dish can be the Middle East.

3 Pizza gained popularity in Naples where it was served to the poor

A picture of a pizza by Syced-Wikimedia

The city of Naples grew quickly under the reign of the Bourbon kings to become one of the most populous cities in Europe. Due to the availability of job opportunities because of the international trade in the city, there was an influx of people who migrated from the village to look for jobs. This means that the economy struggled to sustain the people that were living in the city. The labourers, couriers and porters looked destitute as the economy was hard on them.

They needed cheap fast food because they were always working to make ends meet, and pizzas with various types of toppings met that need. These pizzas, sold by street vendors rather than shops or restaurants, would be chopped according to the buyer’s budget or requirements. They were all reasonably priced. Though they were similar to Virgil’s flatbreads in some ways, they were now distinguished by cheap and readily available ingredients with abundant flavour.

4 It was despised in the beginning

Food critics did not sing any praises about pizza as it was considered to be food specifically for the poor and thus disgusting. Foreign tourists also did not like the dish. Samuel Morse even went ahead and described pizza as the most sickening cake that had been sprinkled with tomatoes, black pepper and other toppings.

Pizzas were notably missing from the first cookbooks published in the late 1800s. Despite the fact that lazzaroni’s reputation had gradually improved, leading to the first pizza being sold in restaurants, those who enjoyed Neapolitan cuisine avoided mentioning it.

5 Queen Margherita and Margherita pizza

Queen Margherita of Italy by Michele Gordigiani –Wikimedia

Everything changed after Italy’s unification. When King Umberto I and Queen Margherita visited Naples, they became tired of the elaborate French breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The King and Queen were then served three types of pizza by Raffaele Esposito, a famous baker. She eventually settled on a pizza topped with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, which was named after the Queen – Pizza Margherita.

This was a significant shift. Margherita’s patronage not only elevated pizza from a lazzaroni-only snack to something fit for a royal family, but it also elevated pizza from a rural to a national food. It popularized the notion that pizza, like spaghetti and polenta, was a dish native to Italy.

6 The Italians introduced the Americans to Pizza after they migrated

Despite the huge step of the queen backing the dish, it took a long time before pizza spread outside the city of Naples. One event that saw this happen was the migration of people from Italy heading North. This was in the 1930s.  The war was also a big factor in making Pizza popular as after the Allies invaded Italy, they found Pizza wherever they went and were fascinated with it.

Furthermore, America is considered to be the second home to Pizza and it is thought that emigrants from Italy arrived on the East Coast in the late nineteenth century, establishing the way for a new historic movement.

7 Gennaro Lombardi opened the first Pizza Parlour in America

Lombardi emigrated from Italy in 1895 and at 14 years he was making pizza on Mulberry Street using his grandfather’s recipe.  In 1905, the bakery shop’s owner offered Gennaro the chance to acquire the business, which he excitedly accepted.

 After a few years, he discovered that, while bread and groceries remained profitable, pizza was the future. Lombardi aspired to run a true American pizza shop, so he obtained the first pizza-selling license for his 53 1/2 Spring Street location. It was quickly adopted by adventurous restaurant operators and many were not of Italian descent and adapted to reflect local tastes and identities.

8 The American Pizza industry grew in the 1930s

In the late 1930s, Ike Sewell introduced a Chicago pizza with a thicker crust piled high with toppings. His pizzas were topped with chunky sauce and had cheese on the bottom. Rocky Mountain pie was created around the same time and was meant to be served as a dessert with honey.

9 Introduction of Pizza chains changed the pizza industry

Pizza by MarioVG-Wikimedia

The 1950s saw a lot of economic transformation in the United States of America. Pizza chains like Pizza hut which opened in 1959, Little Ceaser’s in 1959 and Dominos in 1960 saw the commercialization of pizza. With the availability of vehicles, it meant that the pizza could be delivered to people at their homes and thus making it more popular.

10 The pizza industry is doing quite well today

Over the years, the pizza industry has grown steadily and now generates about $147 billion globally in a year. This is such a huge revenue and it shows that the industry is doing well and well-liked by the people. Norway is known to be the country that consumes the most pizzas with one person consuming about 5kg of the dish in a year.