One of the favorite foods of today's Americans is pizza and the meatier and cheesier,
the better. Both young and old enjoy eating the cheesy tomato goodness. Most are made with some type of crust and tomato sauce as a base, then topped with common pizza toppings such as pepperoni, green peppers, and olives or more exotic flavors such as barbecue sauce, goat cheese, and artichokes.
Now that we know what pizza is, where did this delicious dish that we enjoy today come from? The earliest mention of a tomato based flatbread was found in Gaeta Italy in the 10th century where the bishop was given twelve pizzas on both Christmas and Easter. Then in the 1500s, a flatbread dish with a red sauce that was served among the poor on the street, was originally given this name. It was not served in the homes of the wealthy, however. Later, various toppings were introduced, until in 1889, under Queen Margherita, what we know of today as the Margherita was invented, with the delicious toppings of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil.
Throughout history, there have been many different styles of pizza. During the Neolithic age, there were records of flat bread being prepared with several different ingredients. Then in the Italian province of Sardinia, archaeologists found bread that was over 3,000 years old. Later in Greece, it was discovered that they used flatbreads called plakous and covered them with toppings such as onions, herbs, and garlic. These flat breads are similar to what we know today as focaccia.
The thing that changed it forever is the use of the tomato. Europeans originally thought it to be poison, due to its relation to the nightshade family. In the 1700s the Neopolitans began using it in their breads, creating the style we know of today. It was then sold in pizza bakeries, thus the origination of the pizzeria that we can enjoy today.
Just like in the United States, different parts of Italy have different ways they make and eat this delicacy. The people in Naples and the area surrounding enjoy their pizzas with softer crust while the Romans prefer to eat it a little on the crispier side.
In order to be a true Neapolitan pizza, there are some rules that need to be strictly followed. These rules include the requirement that it be baked in a wood fired oven for a certain amount of time, kneaded by hand and rolled out with the fingers, and that it must be a certain size.
As you enjoy your next delicious pizza loaded with toppings, think about where it originated and how it has changed since its humble origins in the Mediterranean areas of our world.
