Pizza is one of the most popular food choices in the United States. Indeed, pizza is popular in one form or another in many parts of the world. The origins of pizza are a bit hazy in the mists of time, but thanks to some literary references, we have a few ideas of where it may have come from.

Ancient Pizza

The army of Darius the Great of Persia cooked flat bread on their shields and topped the bread with cheese and dates as early as the 6th century BC. Sounds suspiciously like a pizza, huh? Rome’s first historian, Cato the Elder, also wrote of a “flat round of dough dressed with olive oil, herbs and honey baked on stones” in the 3rd century BC.

When the first century AD came around, Roman Marcus Gavius Apicius wrote a cook book that has given us a great look at what foods were eaten in ancient Rome. One of his recipes is for a bread base topped with chicken, mint, garlic, pepper, cheese, pine nuts, and oil. These toppings are still used on pizzas to this day!

After Mount Vesuvius erupted on August 24, 79 AD, Pompeii and Herculaneum were entombed in ash, preserving a picture of life as it was. Food shops resembling pizzerias have been excavated in Pompeii, containing marble slabs and other tools familiar to the pizza chef. A statue from Pompeii that is on display in the Museo Nazionale in Naples is called “I Pizzaiolo,” meaning “one who creates pizza.”

Pizza as We Know It

It was not until 1522 that tomatoes were introduced to Europe from the New World. At first, they were thought to be poisonous. It was not until the poor people of Naples began sampling the tomatoes and adding it to their dough that the modern pizza was created. The dough was topped with olive oil, lard, cheese, and herbs, along with the tomatoes. Neapolitan pies got the reputation of being the best in all of Italy. By the 17th century, visitors to Naples would be sure to make a trip to the poorer sections of the city to taste the “pizzaioli” that the peasants ate.

By the 18th century, Italian royalty began uplifting the humble pizza to a higher place in popular cuisine. They served pizza to their guests, and had well known pizza chefs come to cook for them on special occasions. By the 19th century, pizza stalls sold the simple pies for all three meals. Vendors would develop their own pizza dough recipes and top them with simple anchovies or mushrooms.

Pizza made its first recorded appearance in the New World in the late 19th century. New York City had its first pizzeria in 1905, but the traditional Italian fare did not make much of an impression. In 1943, Ike Sewell developed deep dish pizza in Chicago and served it in his Pizzeria Uno.

American soldiers in Italy during World War II really developed a taste for pizza. When they came home after the war, they wanted pizza. By the 1950s, pizza began its swift rise in popularity in the United States, becoming one of the top foods in the nation.

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Category: Food and Drinks
Keywords: pizza history,modern pizza,humble pizza,early 19th century pizza,pizza