A Slice of History

 

Pizza is a baked pie of Italian origin. The word pizza is believed to be from an Old Italian word meaning "a point," which in turn became the Italian word "pizzicare," which means "to pinch" or "pluck." For many people, especially among the Italian-American population, the first American pizzas were known as Tomato Pie.

 

The term "pizza" first appeared "in a Latin text from the southern Italian town of Gaeta in 997 AD, which claims that, a tenant of certain property, is to give the bishop of Gaeta, 'duodecim pizze' ['twelve pizzas'] every Christmas Day, and another twelve every Easter Sunday".

 

In Sardinia, French and Italian archaeologists have found bread baked over 7,000 years ago.

 

The Ancient Greeks had a flat bread called plakous which was flavored with toppings like herbs, onion, and garlic. The common belief is that Italians invented the pizza, however the origins go back to the ancient times. It is known that ancient Mediterranean people such as the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians were eating the bread, seasoned with olive oil and native spices. (The latter ate a version with herbs and oil, similar to today’s focaccia.)

 

Naples in the 1700s and early 1800s was a thriving waterfront city. It was notorious for its throngs of working poor, or lazzaroni.  These Neapolitans required inexpensive food that could be consumed quickly. The innovation that led to flat bread pizza was the use of tomato as a topping. For some time after the tomato was brought to Europe from the Americas in the 16th century, it was believed by many Europeans to be poisonous. However, by the late 18th century, it was common for the poor of the area around Naples to add tomato to their yeast-based flat bread, and so the pizza began.

Pizza—flatbreads with various toppings, eaten for any meal and sold by street vendors or informal restaurants—met this need. The lower class of the Naples, Italy is believed to have created pizza in a more familiar fashion.  Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba in Naples is widely regarded as the city's first pizzeria.

 

How the famous ‘Margherita Pizza’ got its name:

 

In 1889 - Umberto I, King of Italy, and his wife, Queen Margherita di Savoia, in Naples on holiday, called to their palace the most popular of the pizzaioli (pizza chef), Raffaele Esposito, to taste his specialties. He prepared three kinds of pizzas: one with pork fat, cheese, and basil; one with garlic, oil, and tomatoes; and another with mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes (in the colors of the Italian flag). The Queen liked the last kind of pizza so much that she sent to the pizzzaiolo a letter to thank him. Raffaele Esposito dedicated his specialty to the Queen and called it "Pizza Margherita." This pizza set the standard by which today's pizza evolved as well as firmly established Naples as the pizza capitol of the world.

1905 - Gennaro Lombardi claims to have opened the first United States Pizzeria in New York City at 53 1/2 Spring Street. Lombardo is now known as America's "Patriaca della Pizza."

 

Pizza is mentioned in a line from the song by famous singer, Dean Martin; "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that amore" it is said that this song, set America singing and eating pizzas.

 

Few Popular Styles of Pizza

• Neapolitan pizza (pizza napoletana)

An authentic Neapolitan pizza is typically made with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. December 9, 2009 - The European Union established a ruling to protect Naples' Neapolitan pizzas. The EU's ruling said Neapolitan pizza was now part of Europe's food heritage, and that all pizzerias aspiring to supply and make the real Neapolitan pizzas must comply to strict traditional standards regarding ingredients and preparation that include using only San Marzano tomatoes and fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese.

 

• Chicago-Style Deep-Dish Pizza

A pizza with a flaky crust that rises an inch or more above the plate and surrounds deep piles of toppings. It is said that this pizza was created by Ike Sewell at his bar and grill called Pizzeria Uno. However, a 1956 article from the Chicago Daily News asserts that Uno's original pizza chef Rudy Malnati developed the recipe.

 

• Stuffed Pizza

Stuffed pizzas are often even deeper than deep-dish pizzas, but otherwise, it can be hard to see the difference until it is cut into. A stuffed pizza generally has much deeper topping density than any other type of pizza. 

 

• Thin Crust Pizza

The crust is thin and firm enough to have a noticeable crunch, this pizza is cut into squares, also known as party cut or tavern cut.

 

• ​Lahma Bi Ajeen

This scrumptious version of pizza, which literally translates into "meat with dough," is brought to you by the Lebanese (other parts of the Middle East call it by other names) and is made with minced onions, usually ground lamb, cumin and yogurt.

 

February 9th is international Pizza Pie day. One of my favourite days for sure!