Pizza: The History Behind America’s Favorite Food

Of course, everyone knows the pizza originated in Italy, but that doesn’t stop us from considering it almost uniquely American. Dine in and delivery restaurants selling pepperoni pies are nearly as ubiquitous as hamburger joints. If it didn’t take a bit more care and attention to give customers a satisfying meal and the prices were low enough, there’s little doubt that the larger chains would eclipse even McDonald’s in terms of sales. We know it’s delicious, we know it hits the spot in ways that only it can, and we know that kids will even perform extra curricular work to get a hold of it (the Book-It Club, anyone?). But what do we know about its history?

The pizza has been around for at least a thousand years, according to most culinary scholars. It was first introduced in and around the city of Naples, in Italy. Of course, if you really wanted to you could trace its history back even further than that. Historical evidence suggests that even the earliest cavemen were baking flat disks of bread on hot stones as a primitive form of focaccia. It was precisely this herb and spice bread that became so popular in Naples centuries later. This bread was then used as a sort of edible plate, on which random leftovers could be placed to make a new kind of meal.

It wasn’t until the 1600s that the modern pizza began to develop out of those humble beginnings. That was when the tomatoes of South America began making their way to the old country and chefs there found that it opened up a new world of flavor and possibilities. This was where many of the traditional Italian recipes began to evolve and our favorite modern pie was certainly among them. In the early 1800s, the first pizzeria was opened. Later in the century, what looked most like what we eat today was developed by Raffaele Esposito, who cooked a dish featuring tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil. Note the colors red, white, and green, perfectly chosen to represent the Italian flag. The Margherita pizza, as it was named (the dish was created in honor of Queen Margherita Teresa Giovanni) became a sensation.

The popular dish came to America in 1905, courtesy of Gennaro Lombardi and his Pizzeria Napoletana in New York City. It was New York that saw the first rise of the dish in the United States and it remains a stronghold for the Italian favorite.