A Short History of Pizza
It is not conclusive when precisely did pizza emerge at its position as one of the tremendously popular dishes in the United States, but nearly everybody will unquestionably concur that pizza has become America’s favorite food over the past 50 years. Millions of pizza pies are eaten everyday, but very few people, if at all, stop munching and chewing their beloved pizza to consider the history of their favorite food. The true origins of this fine cuisine are as colorful as any excellent pizza piled with toppings.
If you go out into the streets and start questioning people where they imagine pizza came from, chances are you will get answers pointing to the common belief that Italians created the pizza. Even so, the origins go back to the ancient times. Even though we have yet to hear archeological evidence of a Dominos Pizza outlet before the last century, it is widely recognized that the Babylonians, Israelites, Egyptians and other ancient Middle Eastern cultures were consuming flat, unleavened bread that had been prepared in mud ovens.
The bread was very much like a pita, which is still conventional in Greece and the Middle East today. Besides, it is well-known that ancient Mediterranean people such as the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians were eating the bread, topped seasoned with olive oil and native spices.
The lesser class populace of Naples, Italy is considered to have created pizza in a more recognized formula. In the late 1800s, an Italian baker by the name of Raffaele Esposito, was considered to have produced such a dish for traveling royals. Fitting in with the narrative, the Italian monarch King Umberto and his consort, Queen Margherita were touring the area. In order to make an impression and to show his devoted zeal, Raffaele chose to top flat bread with food that would best represent the colors of Italy: red tomato, white mozzarella cheese and green basil. The monarch and queen were so fascinated by the creativity of the dish and its maker that news rapidly reached the people. The end results were that the dish was well received to the point that others began to reproduce it.
By the beginning of the 1900s pizza made its way to the inner cities of the United States, thanks to Italian immigrants. The people of New York and Chicago were among the foremost diners to taste and enjoy their first slices of pizza, due to those cities having voluminous Italian populations. Soon afterwards, small cafes and restaurants began serving the Italian favorite. American soldiers also influenced the reputation of the dish by the end of World War II, having been exposed to it while fighting on the Italian front.
Today pizza has become just as American as baseball and apple pie. Only because of its most current bloodlines is it regarded an Italian dish. Huge U. S. based multi-billion dollar companies which depend on the pizza for their earnings should be grateful for the evolution of this delicious dish, along with countless poor college students who can appreciate the fine dining experience pizza has given them.
Jane Huntington is an avid cook and writer working for http://www.cindykitchen.com, where you can get all the best restaurant and pizza supplies at the best prices. Visit us for all your restaurant supplies wholesale needs.
- Jane Huntington
