Pizza is arguably the most globally popular food, yet its origins are humble. What began as a way to use stale bread and whatever toppings were on hand has evolved into a subject of passionate debate, UNESCO recognition, and millions of restaurants worldwide serving everything from thin Neapolitan pies to deep-dish Chicago casseroles.
Ancient Predecessors
Flatbreads topped with oils, herbs, and cheeses date back to ancient civilizations across the Mediterranean and Middle East. The Egyptians baked flatbreads that were likely topped with various ingredients as early as several thousand years BCE. The Persians, according to the Greek historian Herodotus writing in the 5th century BCE, baked flatbreads topped with cheese and dates. The Romans had placenta, a layered flatbread described by Cato the Elder, topped with cheese and honey and baked on leaves. These early versions share the basic concept of a topped flatbread but lack the tomato sauce and the specific baking techniques that define pizza in the modern sense — tomatoes, notably, did not even reach Europe until after Columbus's voyages to the Americas.
Birth of Modern Pizza in Naples
Modern pizza emerged in Naples, Italy, in the late 18th century, after tomatoes (initially viewed with suspicion as possibly poisonous, since they belong to the nightshade family) became accepted as food among the Neapolitan poor. Pizza was food of the working class — a cheap, filling way to use whatever ingredients were available, topped simply with tomatoes, oil, garlic, and cheese. Neapolitan pizza makers, called pizzaiuoli, often worked overnight in wood-fired ovens and sold their products on the street the next morning. The pizza was thin, inexpensive, and eaten quickly while standing, functioning as a breakfast or lunch for working-class Neapolitans rather than the sit-down restaurant meal it later became.
The Margherita Legend
The most famous story claims that in 1889, pizzaiuolo Raffaele Esposito created the Pizza Margherita in honor of Queen Margherita of Savoy's visit to Naples, choosing toppings that echoed the colors of the newly unified Italian flag: red tomatoes, white mozzarella, and green basil. While the story is popular and often repeated as historical fact, food historians debate its precise accuracy, noting that similar tomato-and-cheese pizzas likely existed in Naples before this specific royal encounter. Regardless of the legend's exact truth, the combination of tomato, mozzarella, and basil remains the quintessential Neapolitan pizza, and true Neapolitan pizza today is protected by European Union regulations (SpecialitĂ Tradizionale Garantita) specifying the flour, tomatoes, cheese, and even the oven temperature (905 degrees F / 485 degrees C) required to earn the designation.
Global Expansion
Italian immigrants brought pizza to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, initially serving it almost exclusively within Italian-American neighborhoods. The first documented pizzeria in the United States, Lombardi's, opened in New York City's Little Italy in 1905, selling pizza wrapped in paper and tied with string for a nickel a slice. After World War II, American soldiers stationed in Italy developed a taste for pizza and brought the craving home with them, which coincided with the rise of chain pizzerias and eventually national delivery empires in the following decades. From there, pizza exploded into a global industry worth well over a hundred billion dollars, adapting constantly to local tastes — from Japanese mayonnaise-and-corn pizza to Brazilian pizza topped with green peas — while still tracing its identity back to that Neapolitan original.
Common Pizza Myths
One persistent myth is that Marco Polo brought pasta, and by extension pizza-making techniques, back from China; in reality, flatbreads and noodle-like foods developed independently in both regions, and there is no credible historical evidence for this claim. Another common misconception is that deep-dish Chicago-style pizza and thin Neapolitan pizza represent the same dish at different thicknesses; in practice they use different doughs, baking methods, and assembly order (deep dish is typically built cheese-first, then sauce on top) and are best understood as distinct regional inventions rather than variations on one recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Neapolitan pizza different from New York-style pizza?
Neapolitan pizza uses a small, soft, high-hydration dough baked briefly (60 to 90 seconds) at extremely high heat, producing a puffy, charred, floppy crust meant to be eaten with a fork and knife. New York-style pizza uses a larger, thinner dough baked longer at a lower temperature, producing a firmer, foldable slice suited to eating by hand.
Why is San Marzano tomato so often specified in pizza recipes?
San Marzano tomatoes, grown in volcanic soil near Naples, are prized for their low acidity, thin skin, and few seeds, producing a smoother, sweeter sauce. Authentic Neapolitan pizza regulations specifically call for this variety or a similar approved tomato.
How hot should a home oven be for the best homemade pizza?
As hot as it will go, typically 500 to 550 degrees F (260 to 290 degrees C), ideally with a pizza stone or steel preheated for at least 45 minutes to an hour to store enough heat for a well-browned crust bottom.