The dish that we today call pizza has a long and interesting history. From its origins in the time immemorial, to the 16th century resurrection, all up to modern time. You’ve probably even eaten dozens of them over the past few years. But do you know the history behind the sumptuous delicacy that most of us have now grown to love?
Pizza is one of the world’s most popular fast foods believed to have originated from Italy. However, over the years there have been numerous claims with plenty more people claiming to have been the brains behind pizza creation. But with such a big fan base, it’s certainly no surprise that many claim to have created the world’s first pizza. What you probably didn’t know is that pizza took the United States by storm way before it even became popular in Italy. Here, we will try to go back in history and track how pizza has evolved over the years.
The history of pizza can be traced back to a small Greek settlement known as the Naples. Founded around 600B.C.for the better part of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century Naples was a thriving waterfront known for its many inhabitants, many of whom were working poor and living in wanting conditions. And the closer you got to the bay, the denser the population became. Due to the massive population and what you could call a severe shortage of enough resources, some people were forced to spend most of their lives outdoors or in shabby homes that were no more than a room.
And as you would imagine, since they were poor, they couldn’t afford expensive delicacies and so they required inexpensive food that could be consumed quickly. And pizza met this need. Of course, it was coupled with various Pizza toppings and garnishes including oil, tomatoes, garlic, and cheese.
And although pizza remained an exclusive Naples delicacy for a couple of years later, things didn’t remain that way for long. In 1889, King Umberto and Queen Margherita visited Naples and while on their adventures in Naples decided to try out a new cuisine. Specifically an assortment of pizzas from the city’s Pizzeria Brandi. The Queen particularly loved the mozzarella pizza topped with red tomatoes, soft white cheese, and green basil. And as is expected, the Italians carried the tastes and recipes with them so it wasn’t long before there was a pizza craze in Italy. From then on, pizza became a favorite delicacy among the Italians and Neapolitans until the 1940s.
However, with more and more Naples inhabitants migrating in search of greener pastures, pizzas soon found their way to New York and other American cities and from then on the world at large.
Fast forward to the 21st century and sure enough; the world of pizza has certainly made leaps and bounds. Now there are different types of Pizzas and a whole lot of remarkabletoppings to add onto your pizza to make it tastier.