Pizza night… Pizza parties…. Let’s go out for pizza! Pizza is a culinary creation known throughout the world, having been with us for many years. But, did you ever wonder where did pizza originate? Let us share with you a little bit of pizza history about who invented pizza.
In Naples, Italy thousand of years ago, the term “focaccia” or galette flatbread was first used to describe a herb and spice covered bread The actual word “pizza” was first recorded in AD 997 in Gaeta and immediately spread to other parts of Italy. The pizza was originally labeled as a peasant’s food in the 1800s since it was easy to prepare and only required basic ingredients: flour, yeast, oil, salt, and a wood-fired oven.
One story says the origination of the pizza’s reputation improvement was when Raffaele Esposito, a chef, and his wife created what is now called the margarita pizza. When he visited theQueen consort of Italy, Margherita of Savoy, he made a pizza topped with tomato, mozzarella, and basil representing the colors of the Italian flag (red, white, green) which he named after the queen. This historical turn of events led to pizzas becoming a much more popular food and labeled Esposito as the main contributor who invented pizza.
Luckily, the arrival of Italian immigrants to the USA in the late 19th century brought with them the pizza recipe which became very popular among large Italian groups in Chicago, New York, and other major East coast cities. At that time, a pizza was sold by peddlers walking the streets selling their pizzas for two cents a slice. Soon after, pizza began popping up in small cafes and groceries. The first US pizzeria was created by Gennaro Lombardi, an Italian immigrant. In 1905, Lombardi’s was opened in New York City and was named the first licensed pizzeria in the US.
While we appreciate Lombardi’s and other great pizzeria’s pizzas, there’s still nothing like creating and baking your own pizza pie in an authentic wood-fired oven. If you’re like us, we think you’ll love theAlfa 4Pizze Wood Fired Oven which is still hand-crafted in Italy. Check it out today!