What makes me fall in love with Pizza though I leave no stone unturned to stay in a good shape.
My hobby is to eat the ancient foods. I’ve visited India to taste the ancient recipe of fried rice, I’ve visited China to enjoy a cup of oldest tea. But I never thought that this fast food has such old history.
Yes, I’m talking about Pizza which is the most popular food choices in the United States. It is actually popular all over the world in one form or another. While the true origins of pizza are lost in the far off past, some handy references throughout the ages have helped shed a little light on the subject.
Ancient History of Pizza
As early as the 6th century BC saw soldiers of Darius the Great cooking a flat bread on their shields. They then covered the bread with cheese and dates before eating it. Sounds rather like a pizza, does not it?
Cato the Elder, author of the first history of Rome in the 3rd century BC, wrote of a flat round of dough dressed with olive oil, herbs, and honey, baked on stones.
We have a good idea of what they were eating in ancient Rome because Marcus Gavius Apicius wrote a cook book in the first century AD. In it, he described a bread base covered with toppings like cheese, chicken, mint, pine nuts, oil, pepper, and garlic. Surprisingly, these toppings are still used on pizzas to this day!
Excavations in ancient Pompeii make it look like pizzas were enjoyed in the ancient world. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, this world was entombed for posterity, preserving a day in the life of ancient Italy.
Excavations have shown shops that look much like today’s pizzerias, with marble slabs and other tools. A Pompeiian statue in the Museo Nazionale in Naples is called the I Pizzaiolo, which means - one who makes 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.
In the 18th century, Italian royalty took notice of the humble pizza. One Queen had a pizza oven installed in the palace to serve this “delicacy” to her guests. Another had a pizza named after her, “Pizza Margherita,” topped with basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella.
By the early 19th century, pizza stalls served this popular meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With a simple pizza dough recipe, vendors topped it with cheese, tomato and mushrooms or anchovies for the most popular varieties in the day.
In the late 19th century, pizza finally made it to the New World. New York City sported the first pizzeria in 1905, but it just did not catch on. In 1943, Ike Sewell created the deep dish pizza in his restaurant, Pizzeria Uno in Chicago.
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.
It is no secret that the world loves pizza. Not only is pizza a famous fast food but it can also be a tasty, home cooked healthy meal. Making your own pizza means, you choose the crust, sauce and toppings and you can make your dream pizza with ease. And as a fitness freak I always love to make my Pizza in my kitchen. It helps me to avoid unwanted calories. What do you do to this hot favorite bread slice?
