History of Pizza

American’s love it, but not many know the history of pizza. Each day, millions of Americans eat pizza with all types of toppings. While many people believe that pizza was created by the Italians, but the history of pizza goes back further than that. The Babylonians, Israelites, and Egyptians among other ancient people were believed to have enjoyed eating a type of flat bread cooked in ovens. The Greeks and Romans were known to have topped their bread with olive oil and spices.

However, it was in Italy where the history of pizza as we know it began. In the 1800s, a baker by the name of Raffaele Esposito created flat bread topped with tomato, mozzarella and basil for King Umberto and Queen Marghertia. These toppings were supposed to represent the colors found in the Italian flag – red, white and green.

By the early 1900s, pizza had made its way to America. Because most Italian immigrants settled in Chicago and New York, both of these cities became famous for their pizza, although each was distinctly different. The Chicago style pizzas have thicker crusts than the New York pizzas and usually contain a thicker spread of ingredients.

But what really began the history of pizza in the US was World War II. There were many American soldiers occupying Italy during World War II and many of them got a taste of pizza while there. Once they returned to the States, they wanted more of the delicious treat they had experienced overseas.

Today, each American eats about 23 pounds of pizza each year with pepperoni and cheese being the favored toppings. There are restaurants that specialize in serving pizza in most cities and you can even have Pizza Hut, Dominos or Papa Johns deliver a pizza pie to your home. The history of pizza will continue as American’s continue their love affair with one of their favorite foods.