Here is Uncle John’s history of one of the best foods ever invented—pizza.
PIE’S THE LIMIT
The ancient Greeks were the most accomplished bakers of the ancient world. They made a variety of breads topped with spices, herbs, and vegetables. These concoctions—a kind of “edible plate”—were the first pizzas. How did pizza become Italian? The Greeks occupied part of Italy for six centuries, and one of the things they brought with them was pizza.
Early pizzas featured cheese, herbs, vegetables, and fish or meat—but no tomatoes. Tomatoes, a New World food, didn’t reach Italy until the mid-1500s and didn’t become popular until the 1800s because some people believed they were poisonous.
CREATING THE CLASSIC PIZZA
In 1889 King Umberto and Queen Margherita of Italy visited Naples and wanted to sample the most popular local food, which was pizza. They sent word to Chef Raffaele Esposito, and he brought them a local favorite, pizza alla mozzarella (toppings: tomato, basil, and mozzarella cheese).
Why he chose those particular ingredients is unknown. Some historians say he wanted to make a pizza in the colors of the Italian flag—red, white, and green. But whatever the reason, the queen loved it. She sent him a thank-you note and he returned the compliment by dedicating the pizza alla mozzarella to her and renaming it Pizza Margherita in her honor. It is considered the classic by pizza chefs and is still called Pizza Margherita. One more thing makes that particular pizza a classic: it’s the first-known pizza delivery.
Egg-straordinary fact: Bird species outnumber mammal species 2 to 1.
PIZZA IN THE NEW WORLD
• The first American pizzeria was opened in New York’s Little Italy in 1905.
• By the early 1920s, pizzerias were popping up all over the American Northeast, but pizza was still considered an exotic food.
• American soldiers returning from Italy after World War II spread pizza’s popularity throughout the United States. But it wasn’t until the 1960s that it became a fad. One possible reason: In the 1961 film Splendor in the Grass, Warren Beatty asks a waitress, “Hey, what is pizza?” Before that, most Americans had never heard of it.
• Pepperoni is the most popular pizza topping nationwide; anchovies are the least favorite.
• Today Americans eat more than 30 million slices of pizza a day—or 350 slices a second—and spend $25 billion a year on it.
Alicia Silverstone began her acting career in a Domino’s Pizza commercial.