Pizza

Pizza is an Italian dish made from a flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomato, cheese, and other ingredients, then baked at a high temperature, often in a wood-fired oven. It is loved by people all around the world and can be found in many different restaurants and even grocery stores.

The word pizza was first written down in AD 997 in a Latin manuscript from the southern Italian town of Gaeta. Raffaele Esposito is often credited with creating the modern pizza in Naples. In 2009, Neapolitan pizza was officially recognized by the European Union as a special traditional dish. In 2017, the skill of making Neapolitan pizza was added to UNESCO’s list of important cultural traditions.

Today, pizza is one of the most popular foods globally. It is sold in many ways, including in special pizza restaurants called pizzerias, Mediterranean restaurants, through delivery services, and as street food. In Italy, restaurant pizzas are often eaten with a knife and fork, but when eaten casually, they are usually cut into slices to be eaten while held in the hand. Frozen pizzas and DIY kits are also available in grocery stores for people to cook at home.

Etymology

The word pizza was first recorded in May 997 AD in a Latin document from the town of Gaeta. This document mentions that a tenant had to give the bishop twelve pizzas along with other foods each year.

There are a few ideas about where the word pizza comes from. One idea is that it comes from the word pitta, a type of round flat bread. Another idea is that it may come from an old Italian word meaning "clamp" or "tong." Yet another idea links it to an old German word meaning "mouthful." Over time, the word pizza moved from Italian into English, where it became popular in the 1930s. Before that, people in English-speaking countries sometimes called pizza "tomato pie."

History

Main article: History of pizza

Pizza-like foods have been around for a very long time. Ancient soldiers baked flatbread with cheese and dates, and stories from old times describe meals with round cakes topped with vegetables. In 2023, a painting was found that looks like a pizza.

The word "pizza" was first written down in 997 AD in Gaeta. Modern pizza started in Naples, Italy, in the 1700s or early 1800s. Tomatoes were added much later, after they were brought to Europe. A famous story says a pizza was made in 1889 for a queen, using tomato, mozzarella, and basil to match the Italian flag. Pizza was brought to the United States by Italian immigrants and became popular there. Today, there are groups that work to keep the tradition of real Neapolitan pizza alive.

Preparation

Pizza can be sold fresh or frozen, whole or in portion-size slices. There are ways to keep the sauce from mixing with the dough and to make a crust that can be frozen and reheated without becoming too hard. Some pizzas even come with raw ingredients and special crusts that rise on their own.

In the US, some stores sell pizzas that you take home and bake yourself in your oven. These are put together in the store and sold uncooked. Some grocery stores also sell fresh dough with sauce and toppings so you can make your own pizza at home.

Baking

In restaurants, pizza is often baked in special ovens with fire bricks or in wood or coal-fired brick ovens. At home, you can use a pizza stone to mimic the effect of a brick oven. Some people even use outdoor wood-fired ovens or grills to cook their pizza.

Crust

The crust of a pizza can be thin, like a Neapolitan pizza, or thick, like a deep-dish Chicago-style pizza. It might be plain or seasoned with herbs or garlic, and sometimes it has extra cheese in the edge.

Cheese

Mozzarella is the most common cheese used on pizza, especially the kind from buffalo milk made near Naples. Other cheeses like burrata, Gorgonzola, provolone, pecorino romano, ricotta, and scamorza are also used. Some pizzas use less expensive processed cheeses or cheese analogues to make them taste and look good while lasting longer on shelves.

Varieties and styles

Main article: List of pizza varieties by country

Many types of pizza exist, differing in toppings, crust, or how they are made. These pizzas are often named after the places where they first became popular, especially in North America, like New York–style pizza. Local pizza styles are important parts of regional foods.

Some well-known pizza types include:

Styles

By region of origin

Italy

Authentic Neapolitan pizza uses special tomatoes from near Mount Vesuvius and either mozzarella di bufala campana or fior di latte. Other Italian pizzas include pizza marinara and pizza capricciosa. In Sicily, a thick-crust pizza called Sicilian pizza is popular, and in Turin, small thick pizzas are common.

United States

The first pizzeria in the U.S. opened in Little Italy, New York City, in 1905. American pizzas often have toppings like pepperoni, mushrooms, and onions. Regional styles include Chicago, New York, and Detroit styles. Pizza is very popular, with chains like Domino's Pizza, Pizza Hut, and Papa John's found everywhere.

Argentina

Main article: Argentine pizza

In Buenos Aires, pizza is a key part of local food culture. It arrived with Italian immigrants in the late 1800s and became a favorite dish. A common style is pizza de molde, with a thick, spongy base. Other popular types include fugazza and pizza napolitana.

Dessert pizza

Dessert pizzas are sweet versions of traditional pizza. These include chocolate pizza and fruit pizza, sometimes made with a cookie-like base instead of dough. Some pizza places offer these sweet treats.

Nutrition

Many pizzas made by big pizza companies can be unhealthy because they often have too much salt and fat. These pizzas also have a lot of calories. For example, the USDA found that a typical 14-inch pizza from a fast-food place can have about 5,100 milligrams of sodium.

Similar dishes

Calzone and stromboli are similar to pizza, made from pizza dough that is folded or rolled around a filling. Other dishes include:

• Coca from Catalonia and nearby areas, available in sweet and savory versions.
• Farinata or cecina, a Ligurian and Tuscan dish baked in a brick oven and sold by the slice.
• Flammekueche, a specialty from the Alsace region.
• Focaccia, a flat Italian bread similar to pizza, sometimes called pizza bianca.
• Garlic fingers, an Atlantic Canadian dish shaped like pizza and topped with butter, garlic, cheese, and sometimes bacon.
• İçli pide, or pide, a Turkish dish similar to pizza, often shaped like a boat and sold as "Turkish pizza".
• Khachapuri, a Georgian cheese-filled bread.
• Lahmacun, a Middle Eastern flatbread topped with minced meat and vegetables.
• Manakish, a Levantine flatbread dish.
• Matzah pizza, a Jewish pizza dish.
• Okonomiyaki, known as "Japanese pizza", cooked on a hotplate.
• Panzerotti, similar to calzones but fried instead of baked.
• Pastrmajlija, nicknamed Macedonian pizza, a bread pie with meat.
• Piadina, a thin Italian flatbread from the Romagna region.
• Pinsa (bread), a flatbread with sauce added after baking.
• Pissaladière, similar to pizza with a thicker crust and topped with onions, anchovies, and olives.
• Pizza bagel, a bagel topped like a traditional pizza.
• Pizza cake, a multiple-layer pizza.
• Pizza rolls, a frozen snack product.
• Pizza strips, a tomato pie from Italian-American origin.
• Sfiha, a Levantine flatbread with various toppings.
• Wähe, a Swiss tart.
• Zanzibar pizza, a street food from Stone Town, Tanzania, made with thin dough filled with minced beef, onions, and an egg.
• Zwiebelkuchen, a German onion tart often baked with bacon and caraway seeds.