Every country has its famous and unique dishes. One dish that you find in every corner of the globe though is Pizza.
One could say the making of a great pizza is an art in itself. It would be hard to find someone who hasn’t tasted pizza with a big fat smile on their face. Today we have numerous kinds of pizzas: From the typical Italian like Marinara, Margherita, and Quattro stagione to modern variations of American pizzas like Chicago-style, New York-style, even Upside-down pizza, you name it. If you are a food lover, here are a few facts about this tasty Italian delicacy:
Pizza time
Modern pizza is different, but how?
Original pizzas weren’t made with ingredients that we commonly use today, but completely different in fact. Nowadays, we are used to preparing pizza with the main components being base, crust, cheese, and tomato sauce. However, the original pizzas didn’t contain tomato sauce or tomato slices. The reason behind that lies in the fact that tomatoes didn’t arrive in Italy until around 1500 A.D. Additionally, the crust of the original pizza is believed to be similar to what we know as focaccia bread, with honey and raisins as toppings.
Fun fact about pizza
1.6 billion pizzas are eaten in Italy every year!
Pizza origin country
The origin of pizza isn’t Italy. To this day, this subject is still debated, and there are numerous theories as to where this delicacy came from. Other than its place of origin, the origin of the word is also a matter of debate. It is believed that the word “Pizza” is developed from the Latin “Pinsa”, which translates to “flatbread”. However, this is also questioned. The main question stands: “If Pizza didn’t come from Italy, where did it really come from?” It is speculated that the Greeks cooked pizza-like flatbread and used olive oil and spices as toppings. Through time, this knowledge was transferred to Naples, which was previously a Greek city. Believe it or not, the remains of a bread oven have been discovered about 14,000 years ago.
Where is pizza originated from
A meal for royalty
Since pizza was inexpensive to make and offered a range of toppings to choose from, poor Neapolitans initially ate it. This delicacy was more or less unknown in wider circles until 1889 when the Italian royal couple King Umberto I and Queen Margherita visited Naples. The Queen decided to try something different from her typical French haute cuisine. After being served several varieties of pizzas, her favourite one consisting of basil, fresh mozzarella, and tomato sauce. This also represented a combination of Italian colours (green, white, and red) and was named after the queen who loved it. This is how the Margherita pizza was born.
What is on a Margherita pizza
A typical pizza, not just in Napoli but in all of Italy. Traditional ingredients include, Cow’s milk Mozzarella, San Marzano Tomatoes, fresh Basil, extra virgin olive oil and a dash of salt. Note that cow’s milk mozzarella should be used as opposed to Buffalo.
DID YOU KNOW? In Italy, You can also buy pizza by weight, as oppossed to by slice. Particularly in Rome, this is a very popular way to enjoy as a ready to eat snack. Pick your flavours, on the scales they go and “Ecco qua!”, you have some tasty pizza on the go.
World’s largest pizza
All until 2012 World’s Largest Pizza record was held by South African Norwood Hypermarket. However, a group of chefs joined the forces to make a massive pizza that had the surface area of astonishing 13,580 square feet in Rome, Italy. For this giant of a pizza, it took 20,000 pounds of flour and more than a substantial amount of mozzarella cheese totalling 10,000 pounds. The pizza itself was named “Ottavia”, after the first Roman emperor, Octavian or commonly known as Augustus. Interestingly enough, it was completely gluten-free!
Big in the States
While pizza in Italy and among Italian settlers in the U.S. was very famous, it wasn’t remotely famous as nowadays in America. That changed by the end of World War II. Its popularity was expanded by returned American soldiers who had eaten and enjoyed the classic dish in Italian cities during the occupation. The same happened in European countries like France, England and Spain after the return of their soldiers who had spread the word about the tasty comfort food. Believe it or not, the United States alone records more than half of pizza sales in the world, with around 3 billion pizzas sold every year. On average, an American consumes 46 slices per year, not bad!
Pizza Oven
So, are you hungry yet? I definitely am anytime I hear mention of the word. So whichever form it comes, whether it is circular or squared, thick or thin crust, most people will agree on their shared love for pizza. The almost limitless variations of toppings make it even more interesting to come up with your own combination of flavours to suit any cravings. So can you thank Italy for this delicious invention? Maybe Greece? Maybe Turkey? I’ll leave the debate with you. Buon Appetite.
POP QUIZ…
In what year did the world’s first pizzeria open in Naples?
1738, Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba was the name and they made a pizza with sheep’s cheese, peppers, basil, and lard called a “Master Nicola” or Mastunicola. You can still eat one today back in old Napoli. Now that’s Amore!
Want to know more Pizza facts? See what Rome Inside has to say from a real Italian perspective…
What’s your favorite Pizza? Let us know in the comments below