Pizza has a long history.Flatbreads with toppings were consumed by the ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks. (The latter ate a version with herbs and oil, similar to today’s focaccia.) But the modern birthplace of pizza is southwestern Italy's Campania region, home to the city of Naples.
Founded around 600 B.C. as a Greek settlement, Naples in the 1700s and early 1800s was a thriving waterfront city. Technically an independent kingdom, it was notorious for its throngs of working poor, or lazzaroni. “The closer you got to the bay, the denser their population and much of their living was done outdoors, sometimes in homes that were little more than a room,” says Carol Helstosky, author of Pizza: A Global History and associate professor of history at the University of Denver.
These Neapolitans required inexpensive food that could be consumed quickly. Pizza—flatbreads with various toppings, eaten for any meal and sold by street vendors or informal restaurants—met this need. “Judgmental Italian authors often called their eating habits ‘disgusting,’” Helstosky notes. These early pizzas consumed by Naples’ poor featured the tasty garnishes beloved today, such as tomatoes, cheese, oil, anchovies and garlic.
Italy unified in 1861, and King Umberto I and Queen Margherita visited Naples in 1889. Legend has it that the traveling pair became bored with their steady diet of French haute cuisine and asked for an assortment of pizzas from the city’s Pizzeria Brandi, the successor to Da Pietro pizzeria, founded in 1760. The variety the queen enjoyed most was called pizza mozzarella, a pie topped with soft white cheese, red tomatoes and green basil. (Perhaps it was no coincidence that her favorite pie featured the colors of the Italian flag.) From then on, the story goes, that particular topping combination was dubbed pizza Margherita.
Queen Margherita’s blessing could have been the start of an Italy-wide pizza craze. But pizza would remain little known in Italy beyond Naples’ bordersuntil the 1940s.
An ocean away, though, immigrants to the United States from Naples were replicating their trusty, crusty pizzas in New York and other American cities, including Trenton, New Haven, Boston, Chicago and St. Louis. The Neapolitans were coming for factory jobs, as did millions of Europeans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; they weren’t seeking to make a culinary statement. But relatively quickly, the flavors and aromas of pizza began to intrigue non-Neapolitans and non-Italians.
One of the first documented United States pizzerias was G. (for Gennaro) Lombardi’s on Spring Street in Manhattan, licensed to sell pizza in 1905. (Prior to that, the dish was homemade or purveyed by unlicensed vendors.) Lombardi’s, still in operation today though no longer at its 1905 location, “has the same oven as it did originally,” notes food critic John Mariani, author of How Italian Food Conquered the World.
Debates over the finest slice in town can be heated, as any pizza fan knows. But Mariani credited three East Coast pizzerias with continuing to churn out pies in the century-old tradition: Totonno’s (Coney Island, Brooklyn, opened 1924); Mario’s (Arthur Avenue, the Bronx, opened 1919); and Pepe’s (New Haven, opened 1925).
As Italian Americans, and their food, migrated from city to suburb, east to west, especially after World War II, pizza’s popularity in the United States boomed. No longer seen as an “ethnic” treat, it was increasingly identified as fast, fun food. Regional, decidedly non-Neapolitan variations emerged, eventually including California-gourmet pizzas topped with anything from barbecued chicken to smoked salmon.
Postwar pizza finally reached Italy and beyond. “Like blue jeans and rock and roll, the rest of the world, including the Italians, picked up on pizza just because it was American,” explains Mariani.
Today international outposts of American chains like Domino’s and Pizza Hut thrive in about 60 different countries.Reflecting local tastes, global pizza toppings can run the gamut from Gouda cheese in Curaçao to hardboiled eggs in Brazil.
FAQs
Many people credit baker Raffaele Esposito from the Naples region of Italy for first creating the dish. Others believe that the history of pizza dates far further back than Esposito's era of the late 1800s.
Who ordered the first pizza in the world? ›
Italy unified in 1861, and King Umberto I and Queen Margherita visited Naples in 1889. Legend has it that the traveling pair became bored with their steady diet of French haute cuisine and asked for an assortment of pizzas from the city's Pizzeria Brandi, the successor to Da Pietro pizzeria, founded in 1760.
Why is pizza called pizza? ›
It's widely speculated that pizza came from the Greek word “pitta,” which means “pie” ; however some historians believe that pizza came from the Langobardic word “bizzo,” which means “bite.” Latin texts dating back to 977 Italy have been entered into a 1598 Italian-English dictionary as “a small wafer or cake.”
Who is the father of modern pizza? ›
The story of modern pizza as we know began in Naples, Italy, in the late 1800s. Baker Raffaele Esposito is usually given credit for baking the first pizzas with tomato sauce, cheese, and toppings.
Where is the birthplace of pizza? ›
Naples, Italy, is often referred to as the 'home of pizza' because it is where modern pizza was invented. The city is also home to many famous pizzerias, including L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele, featured in the book and movie, Eat Pray Love.
Who is the father of pizza? ›
Raffaele Esposito (Italian: [raffaˈɛːle eˈspɔːzito]) was an Italian chef and owner of a tavern in Naples called Pizzeria di Pietro e basta così ( lit. 'Pietro's Pizzeria and that's enough') in the 19th century that had been founded in 1780 by Pietro Colicchio.
What country eats the most pizza? ›
1. Norway: Consumers of the Great Frozen Pie. If you think we eat a lot of pizza in America, you should see what they're consuming in Norway! On average, each person in Norway eats about 11 pounds of pizza a year.
What was the first country to eat pizza? ›
Pizza was first invented in Naples, Italy as a fast, affordable, tasty meal for working-class Neapolitans on the go. While we all know and love these slices of today, pizza actually didn't gain mass appeal until the 1940s, when immigrating Italians brought their classic slices to the United States.
Who brought pizza to America? ›
The origins of pizza, as we know it today, can be traced back to 17th century Naples, and it was brought to America by Italian immigrants in the late 19th century.
Who first put tomato sauce on pizza? ›
Many believe that pizza sauce was invented by Raffaele Esposito in 1889 because he was credited with the invention of the “Pizza Margherita”. According to the legend, Queen Margherita summoned Raffaele to the Royal Palace to prepare the popular dish among the locals in Naples.
To this day, many New Yorkers still refer to pizza as pie without a second thought. So, the etymology of “pizza pie” is really history lesson on how this iconic Italian food was first introduced to (and interpreted by) hungry Americans over a century ago.
What do Italians call pizza? ›
The Italians use a variety of terms to describe their pizza. Crostata and torta are both used to describe savory and sweet pies, and pizza is a singular word that represents only one dish. There are other names for pizza, but these are the most common. There's nothing wrong with being confused.
What restaurant made the first pizza? ›
The margherita is topped with modest amounts of tomato sauce, mozzarella, and fresh basil. It is widely attributed to baker Raffaele Esposito, who worked at the restaurant "Pietro... e basta così" ("Pietro... and that's enough"), established in 1880 and remaining in business as "Pizzeria Brandi".
Is pizza from Italy or America? ›
Pizza is a classic Italian dish with humble roots tracing back to Naples. Since then, several countries have adopted different versions of this dish, including American and Italian-style pizza. American culture heavily influenced the United States Italian immigrants' cuisine.
Who was Raffaele's pizza for? ›
In 1889, pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito invented the pizza Margherita to honor both Margherita of Savoy (the Queen consort of Italy) and the recent unification of Italy. The basil, mozzarella, and tomatoes on the pizza represent the red, white, and green colors of the Italian flag, baked in a traditional wood fired oven.
Did the Greeks invent pizza? ›
Italians developed and perfected their style of pizza making, but they were not the only culture that appreciated the ease and deliciousness of the dish. Some people even credit the Chinese with the invention, but the Greeks (and others) also had a role. The Greeks baked a flatbread known as plakous in mud ovens.
Did Vikings invent pizza? ›
About the history of pizza there are many rumors, so Norwegian scientists put forward the hypothesis that the prototype of pizza was invented by the Vikings, who cooked flatbread on the ships, using similar recipes to pizza. They had special pizza pans that helped prepare this dish using meat, vegetables and fish.
Why did pizza become popular after WWII? ›
Pizza's popularity boomed in the years after World War II. Allied troops stationed in Italy during the war ate and enjoyed pizza, bringing their taste for the dish home to their countries.
