Virtually Endless Variations of the World’s Most Popular Food
If there’s any food that you can get just about anywhere on the planet, it’s pizza. Though the actual term “pizza” first appeared in print in 997 CE in southern Italy (a tenant on some property agreed to deliver 12 pizzas to the landlord every Christmas and every Easter), similar foods were believed to be popular with Persian soldiers as early as the 6th century BCE. There’s also a reference to a pizza-like food in Virgil’s Aeneid. Archeologists unearthed a fresco in Pompeii in 2023 that had a pizza-like dish on a plate.
Scholars disagree as to the etymology of the word “pizza.” Some believe it’s a variant of pita, from the ancient Greek for “fermented pastry.” Some scholars argue that it comes from the Germanic word “pizzo,” or “mouthful.” Still others suggest that it’s derived from the Italian “pinze,” meaning “to pound or stamp.”
The Modern Pizza
By the early 1800s, flatbreads similar to the modern pizza were being sold at bakeries and by street vendors in and around Naples. Most were topped with simple ingredients, such as garlic, cheese, salt and lard.
Legend has it that the modern pizza originated with the pizza Margherita, created by pizza-maker (or “pizzaiolo”) Raffaele Esposito in 1889. Esposito was commissioned by the Royal Palace to create a flatbread in honor of Queen Margherita, who allegedly wanted a dish that included the three colors of the Italian flag—red, green and white. Esposito added a marinara (red) and fresh basil (green) to the basic crust (white). Italian immigrants in the late 19th century brought pizza with them and it soon spread across the nation.
Some of the Different Styles of Pizza
The original pizzas were what is now commonly referred to as a “Neapolitan” pizza, a round (and often large) pie with a soft, thin center, a leavened edge and a spotted crust. The Neapolitan is typically soft in the middle and crunchy along the edges. In the United States, the descendant of the Neapolitan is the New York style pizza.
Over the past century, a number of other distinct pizza styles have become popular:
- Chicago-style—The classic deep dish pizza, typically baked in a round pan with high edges and a thick layer of toppings. The crust will often be stuffed with cheese or other items.
- Detroit-style—Typically rectangular, these pizzas were first cooked in used parts trays from the automobile industry. A classic Detroit-style pizza will have a thick crust coated with olive oil, lots of cheese piled around the edges (where it caramelizes) and three distinct rows of sauce and toppings.
- St. Louis-style—Made with an uber-thin unleavened crust and Provel cheese, a blend of cheddar, provolone and Swiss cheeses, it’s typically round, but cut into squares
- Colorado-style—Usually sold by the pound, this pie has a unique braided crust and comes with extra sauce and cheese, as well as a side of honey.
