This popular delicacy did not originate in Italy, and its popularity explosion is attributed to another country. Now the word “Pizza” was first documented around 997 AD in Gaeta, Italy; mind you it was the name not the pie that started here.
The first version of this popular dish was in ancient Greek made of flatbread, spices, oil and cheese. It became more well known in Naples in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, but at that time Naples was not a part of Italy, it was its own coastal kingdom. The first pizzeria in the United States was Lombardi’s, which was started in New York City in 1905; and even though it is in a different location today they are still using the original oven.
Little known facts. The largest pizza was made in 2012 in Rome, Italy, coming in at 13,580.28 feet. In 2001 a 6-inch pizza was delivered to the International Space Station. In America today this concoction is a $37 Billion industry. Las Vegas hosts an annual Pizza Expo. Japanese put mayo on their pizza. In 1962 a Canadian Pizzaria added pineapple to their mushroom, bacon, and pepperoni pizza to make the first Hawaiian pizza. The World Pizza Championships consists of five competitive events Freestyle Acrobatic Dough Tossing, Fastest Dough, Largest Dough Stretch, Fastest Pizza Box Folding and the Pizza Triathlon, not to mention the baking competitions. There is a Pizza World Association primarily made up of Pizza Chefs. Of all the restaurants in the US, 17% are Pizzarias.
To celebrate. It is against the law to add any toppings other than cheese today, although you can use a number of different types of cheeses, in fact mixing your own will always be best. Okay, it’s not against the law, but this is a day to celebrate pizza’s origin. But you can still stay true to the flavor of this day and have variety. The best-known pizza cheeses are: mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan, gouda, goat, and ricotta…. but you can check out this list of cheeses (most of which I can’t pronounce) that you can add. Then there are the different spices… but don’t google this unless you have lots of time to review the 66 million results with all sorts of recipes. Then you can choose to marinara or not: sauce or not… by this I mean you can use a number of different types of sauces that span the flavor palate, including pasta sauce. But the most authentic and faithful way to do cheese pizza on this holiday… whether store bought, restaurant ordered or home baked, is to DOUBLE THE CHEESE! Buon Appetito!