Where Did Pizza Come From?

Who doesn’t love pizza? The combination of cheese, bread, sauce and toppings is magnifico! You can eat it with pepperoni, vegetables or with little fishies on them! But that’s just getting weird…
However, that’s not how pizza was originally eaten. It all started with the early Greeks who made flat breads and spread them with oil, herbs and spices. These early pizzas reached Rome, Egypt and Babylon. Eventually flat bread found its way to Italy where it was sold in markets during the 18th century. They were served plain since they were cheap, and sold to the poor throughout Naples. In 1830 the “first true pizzeria”, Antica Pizzeria Port’ Alba, opened in Naples and still exists today!

Queen Margherita

But here comes the good part. In 1889, baker Raffaele Esposito of Napoli (Naples) baked a pizza for Queen Marghertia and her husband Umberto I. The pizza resembled the Italian flagwith red tomato, mozzarella cheese and fresh green basil. The Queen automatically fell in love with the meal, despite it being peasant food. Pizza spread throughout Italy and several variations were made in different parts of the country. But it didn’t stop at Italy. The invention spread throughout France, England, Spain and eventually to America.

Pizza made its way to America with the Italian immigrants. However, it wasn’t popular in America until American soldiers had a taste of it in Italy. When the soldiers returned home after World War II they craved the delectable meal and made the pizza industry boom. It was in the US that ground beef, bacon sausage, peppers and the like were added on pizza.

Margherita Pizza

There is now a World Pizza Day in its home, Naples. There are guidelines for this festival but they are laid down by the city’s Real Neapolitan Pizza Association(Yes, it even has its own association!) In addition, Esposito’s Brandi Pizzeria is still run by his descendants. Talk about a successful family business! Now that you are hungry and craving pizza…next time you’re in Italy remember to stop by Naples and pay homage to the creator of the world famous meal!

Sources:
http://www.pizzanapoletana.org/index_eng.php
http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/FOOD_IS_ART/pizzahistory.html
http://www.osiaglnw.org/the%20history%20of%20pizza.pdf
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/462475/pizza
http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy/campania/italy-unveils-world-pizza-day
http://www.lifeinitaly.com/food/pizza-history.asp

History Schmistory, July 7: J’aime le chocolat!

1550 – Chocolate was introduced. In my opinion, this should be an international holiday. Seriously though, who isn’t loco for some cocoa?

Chocolate

History Schmistory, June 28: The Tomato Playing Ketch-up!

1820 – The tomato was proven to be non-poisonous. Thank goodness for that…our most important foods (pizza, spaghetti, burgers) would never have been the same!

Way to go tomatoes!  "Jumping tomato" by Gabi Greve /CC BY

Way to go tomatoes!
“Jumping tomato” by Gabi Greve /CC BY

History Schmistory: February 23. The world looks mighty good to me.

1896: The Tootsie Roll is invented, and gives rise to an unusual morphological phenomenon…

History Schmistory: October 17. Flow this way!

The_manor_house_of_Toten_Hall_-_1813

The manor house of Toten Hall, where the flood began http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/The_manor_house_of_Toten_Hall_-_1813.gif

 

1814: The London Beer  Flood occurs in, you guessed it, London, killing nine and inebriating several others.

History Schmistory: October 3. “Eat… these broken wings…”

1964: The first plate of Buffalo Wings is served up at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, a city once brimming with swarms of flying buffalo. Now, sadly there are only a few left 🙁

By Coast Guard photo/ Petty Officer 2nd Class Jetta H. Disco [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

By Coast Guard photo/ Petty Officer 2nd Class Jetta H. Disco [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Art by Alexis Trice

History Schmistory: June 18th: Waterloo Sunset!

1815:  The Battle of Waterloo, Belgium. Napoleon and Wellington ‘duke’ it out (see what we did there) and along the way incidentally provide ABBA with the keys to stardom!

The British victory at Waterloo heralded the end of Napoleonic ascendancy in Europe after over ten years as Emperor of The French.

"Creative commons, Napoléon Bonaparte, 1798"  digital watercolor from painting by Édouard Detaille by Now Idonoa /CCBY

“Napoléon Bonaparte, 1798”
digital watercolor from painting by Édouard Detaille by Now Idonoa /CCBY

 

 

History Schmistory, June 4: Insert cheesy joke

1070 – Roquefort cheese was created in a cave near Roquefort, France! Insert your own cheesy joke here : )

Pee-Yew!

Culture Buzz: The baguettes come out at midnight…

If you have ever been to France you know that the French love their baguettes. You see them everywhere. If you spent a day counting all the baguettes you see in France you would be left with some unfathomable number. The French will eat just about everything on a baguette, but many believe the best thing to have on a baguette is, more baguette. They also tend to be very serious about their baguettes, by law you can only make them a certain way. That’s soooo French! The rural French have been known to travel for miles into town for a fresh baguette, while on the busy streets baguettes are more abundant than Starbucks coffee. Sit at a corner cafe, hopefully not a Starbucks, and you’re likely to see more baguettes passing by than people! The baguettes just might be plotting some sort of hostile takeover. (They do happen to make a surprisingly reliable weapon when backed into a corner…)

baguette-678113_640

Anyhoo, since bakers are only human, they can’t stay up all hours to fulfill every fresh baguette emergency. So, it’s about time somebody came up with a way to get your baguette fix at any hour of the night. Enter Jean-Louis Hecht, baker extraordinaire, who built a special vending machine/oven that warms up and serves you a baguette on the spot. Brilliant!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpWZk3ucWrw]
Now the hungry masses can be served at Jean-Louis’ bakery through the night while, presumably, he relaxes at home with a baguette 🙂

Are You For Real?

By riNux [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

By riNux [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

 The Modern Toilet in Taiwan, is a toilet themed restaurant that makes you wonder… …What do you think the restrooms look like?

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