Pizza, one of the most popular foods, has ancient roots. But how did pizza become an integral part of American culture? This is the story of how a simple dish took the world by storm, revealing much about the history, economics, and technological advancements of society as well.
Early Beginnings
People have been eating variations of pizza for centuries, as the basic form of flatbread with savory toppings was often used for those who couldn't afford plates or for eating while traveling. These first basic "pizzas" appeared in Virgil’s Aeneid.
It wasn't until the 18th century that pizza was we know it was developed in the great city of Naples. With overseas trade and steady population growth from the countryside peasants, Naples became one of the largest cities in Europe. However, its urban economy was struggling with the influx, and many people fell into poverty.
The working poor, or lazzaroni, barely scraped by and were constantly in search of work, so necessity led to the creation of pizza - food that was cheap and fast to eat. Pizza was sold by shops and by street vendors and would be cut to meet a customer's budget or size preference. The simplest pizzas were topped with just garlic, lard, and salt, but others included caciocavallo (cheese made from horse's milk) or basil. Later on, some pizzas began to have tomatoes that were introduced from the Americas. However, these were a new ingredient, and thus were looked down upon by some. Ironically, their unpopularity led to low prices, which made them more attractive to others. Characterized by easy-to-find ingredients and great flavor, pizza became a go-to dish for any meal.
Some say that pizza may have developed in Naples because bakers needed to use up their excess dough or to keep their ovens warm. Although originally targeting poor people, these bakers may have developed a food that is now extremely popular with a wide variety of people, regardless of economic status. However, pizzas were scorned by food writers for a long time, as they were associated with poverty. The first cookbooks in the late 1800s ignored pizza, even those dedicated to Neapolitan cuisine, despite the rise of pizza restaurants.
When Italy united, however, everything changed. The story goes that King Umberto I and Queen Margherita visited Naples in 1889 after unification. They soon grew tired of the complex French dishes they were served every meal. A chef was quickly asked to prepare local specialties and 3 pizzas were made. The queen’s favorite pie, called pizza margherita in her honor, was topped with soft white mozzarella cheese, red tomatoes, and green basil. Margherita’s approval elevated pizza to a dish praised by the royal family, which greatly improved pizza's reputation and transformed it into a national dish.
Pizza in Italy
For decades after, pizza was slow to move out of Naples. It wasn't until the 1930s when the pizza was introduced elsewhere due to an increasing number of Neapolitans moving north in search of work. Additionally, war helped spread the pizza. When the Allied soldiers invaded Italy in 1943, they enjoyed the pizza in Campania so much that they asked for it everywhere else they went. However, the factor that truly brought pizza into an international spotlight was tourism. As travel costs lessened in the postwar period, tourists became curious about Italian food and pizza spread throughout Italy. New ingredients were in turn introduced based on local tastes. Pizza had already been adopted by America at this time, so like many other American novelties (music, food, products, etc.), postwar pizza reached other countries and became more widely known in Italy. Pizza became a truly Italian national dish and an integral part of their identity as it spread elsewhere.
Fun Facts:
Pizza margherita features the same colors as the Italian flag
Today, American chains like Domino’s and Pizza Hut are found in about 60 different countries
~3 billion pizzas are sold each year in the United States
Pizza in America
Pizza found its second home in America. At the end of the 19th century, immigrants from Italy came for factory jobs and began recreating their favorite pizza dish. In 1905, the first pizzeria was opened in New York City by Lombardi, a baker who arrived in the U.S. at the age of 14. He found work in a bakery and a grocery store, and thought it would be a great idea for the bakery to make fresh pizzas to sell the next morning at the grocery. His idea was a huge success. Several years later, Lombardi bought the grocery store and obtained the first license to sell pizza. Although he closed down his pizzeria almost thirty years later, his grandsons soon reopened a pizza shop on the same street that still exists today.
Pizza soon spread across the country with the increasing urbanization. It was quickly adapted by restaurateurs to reflect local tastes and needs. No longer seen as an “ethnic” treat, it was increasingly identified as a fast and delicious food. From the 1950s and onwards, economic and technological changes transformed the pizza in America. First, with the increasing middle class and consumer cultures, fridges and freezers became more common and the demand for "convenience" foods grew. This led to the development of frozen pizza, which was designed to be taken home and cooked anytime. These frozen pizzas were covered in tomato paste, rather than slices of tomatoes, to prevent the dough from drying during reheating. New cheeses were also developed to withstand freezing.
Along with cooking their own pizzas at home, people began to develop the idea of ordering pizza to be delivered. With the increasing availability of cars and motorcycles, it was easy to deliver freshly cooked food to customers’ doors. Pizza has now become both more standardized and more open to variation. While the basic form - a dough base topped with thin layers of tomato and cheese – is still the same and has spread around the world, the response to changing tastes of different customers led to a variety of toppings.
Modern Twists
Pizza has had many adaptations both in the U.S. and abroad, with many different regional flavors. Popular toppings in America include sausage, mushrooms, peppers and onions, but pepperoni is the most popular pizza topping overall. In New York, pizza generally maintains its traditional form with a soft, thin crust and topped with tomato sauce and cheese.
In Chicago, deep-dish pizza reigns king, with a deeper, thicker crust and more abundant toppings. This pizza has cheese at the bottom and a mountain of chunky tomato sauce heaped on top. During the organic food movement, California developed the first veggie pizza. The first high-end pizza was also made there, featuring caviar as its topping. Florida has a unique Cuban-Sicilian-American pizza called scachatta. The Cuban influence can be found in the additions of corn or cassava flour in the thick crust and the extra spices and ground beef in the sauce. Like tomato pies in the Northeast, scachatta is often cut into squares.
Around the world, pizza varies widely, In Italy itself, along with the original pizza in Naples, there's a separate type in Rome called pizza bianca, which has a crispy, thin crust topped with olive oil, garlic and cheese. Other toppings such as sliced olives, anchovies, and fresh herbs like parsley and basil are sometimes added. Pizza in Spain, called coca, has a lighter, thinner dough than in Italy and is often topped with caramelized onions and chorizo, a spicy Spanish-style sausage. In France, tarte flambee is a specialty pizza with a soft, thin crust of yeast-raised dough topped with crème fraîche, caramelized onions, and lardons (bits of pork fat). Pizza arrived in Korea in the 1980s with American restaurant expansions, and their pizzas today use ingredients such as gochujang (a paste made from fermented soybeans), wasabi, and sweet potato.
Pizza variations have even sparked heated debates (does pineapple really belong on pizza though?). Next time instead of asking "cheese or pepperoni," try some new toppings and see the similarities and differences!
Link to my homemade pizza recipe (from scratch).
Link to my post on the chemistry & science behind pizza.
Want to Learn More? (always cite your sources, kids)
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