Pizza as we know it today is a derivative of focaccia (from the Latin word for fire), a flat bread that has been cooked in many forms and topped with olives, honey, herbs, raisins, fat and nuts since ancient times.
Pizza in Italian means any kind of pieried or flat bread or baked. There are many types of pita, or pizza, around the Mediterranean, but the form of pizza we know today first appeared in Naples after tomatoes came onto the table in the 18th century. Naples has many records of pizza dating back to around 1000. The first mention calls these flatbreads laganae; later they are called picea. Back then, pizza was made with garlic and olive oil or cheese and anchovies or local small fish. They were grilled over an open fire and sometimes closed in two like a book to form a calzone.
The first pizzeria with a brick wood-burning oven covered with Vesuvius lava rocks has also opened in Naples. The chef of the time ignored pizza as it was considered a poor man's food, but when the new combination with tomatoes appeared in his kitchen around the 1770s, even the royal court was intrigued. No doubt. The King of Naples, Ferdinand I Bourbon, loved the rustic cuisine of the people and went to taste the pizza made by Antonio in his Testa shop. He liked it so much that he wanted pizza on the farm's menu. He failed because of the objections of his wife, Queen Maria Carolina. His son Ferdinand II also liked all kinds of folk food and loved pizza so much that Domenico, son of the now famous Antonio, hired his father to build a pizza oven in the Royal Palace of Capodimonte.
Pizza has become so popular that it has earned its place in Neapolitan folklore. It was simple and economical, and as many illustrations of the time show, it was even sold on the streets and became food for all.
A famous episode extended the popularity of pizza beyond the streets of Naples. It was 1889, and Queen Margherita of Italy was visiting the city. She was told about pizza and wanted to try it. With the help of her wife, Donna Rosa, a famous chef named Don Raffaele was invited to make pizza at the Royal Palace. They prepared three pizzas, typical of the time. One is with cheese and basil. stuffed with garlic, oil, and tomatoes. One is mozzarella cheese, with basil and tomato. The Queen, impressed by the colors of the last pizza, which resembled the national flag, preferred this one. Since then, this pizza has been known as Pizza Margherita, and although we know it has been around for a long time, Don Raffaele is credited with inventing it.
At the beginning of the last century, Italian immigrants created the first pizzerias in the United States, where pizza became a popular phenomenon. However, even today, the best pizza can be found in Naples. Made exclusively with buffalo mozzarella cheese, a good pizza is considered to be the one obtained by moderate variations of the simplest and most popular pizzas. Napoletana pizza with tomato, garlic, oil, and oregano. Margherita pizza and Marinara pizza with tomatoes, anchovies, capers, and olives. Pizza Four Seasons has him divided into four quadrants, each dressed differently. On the other hand, American pepperoni pizza is found in the Calabria region south of Naples, where this type of hot sausage is produced.
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