Pizza is the national Italian dish, which is a round open flatbread covered with melted cheese (usually mozzarella) and tomatoes. Cheese is by far the main ingredient of pizza. The other ingredients vary depending on the type of pizza. Pizza is one of the most popular meals in the world today.

So how did pizza come to be?

Similar dishes already existed in the ancient Greeks and Romans. They were dishes laid on slices of bread. Bread with additions of meat, cheese, olives, vegetables, and dairy products were part of the rations for the Roman legionaries. It was the food of both patricians and plebeians.

A Roman, Marcus Apicius, wrote a book in the first century B.C., which contained recipes for the “progenitors” of modern pizza. Olive oil, cheese, pieces of chicken meat, mint, nuts, garlic, and pepper were placed on the dough in various combinations. The word pizza itself is close to the words piazza (square) piatto (plate).

In 1522 a tomato was brought to Europe, and in Italy began to cook almost classic pizza.

In the XVII century, there are special people who cook pizza for the peasants. They are called pizzaiolo (pizzaiolo). One day in 1772, King Ferdinand I strolled incognito in Naples and became hungry. The monarch entered the establishment of the Neapolitan pizzaiolo Antonio Testa. As he satisfied his hunger, the king became more and more fascinated by the taste and variety of the dishes. Ferdinand I tried to introduce pizza into the royal kitchen, but the attempt was unsuccessful.

His wife was categorically against commoners’ food in the diet of monarchs.

Some time passed, and another King Ferdinand II, who also liked pizza, decided to change the attitude of the female part of the royal court to this dish. Ferdinand II summoned the royal chefs to a secret meeting where the issue of pizza ennoblement was decided.

The main problem was that the pizza dough was kneaded with the feet, which was unacceptable for a royal dish!
The dough was now kneaded with a bronze pestle in the shape of a man, and a four-toothed fork was used to eat the pizza. On the thirtieth birthday of Margaret of Savoy, a huge miracle pizza was placed on the table, prepared by the couple, Raffaele Esposito and Rosina Brandi.

The pizza was named after the queen. Since that day, Margarita pizza became the most popular dish among the royal court.

Marinara and Four Seasons were also allowed in the royal kitchen. At the moment in Italy, there are more than two thousand different kinds of pizza. And it can be argued that it was Naples that gave the world such a miracle as pizza. In the XIX century, thanks to the Italian settlers, pizza made its way to America. After World War II, pizza delivery service was widespread in the U.S., and the food industry began to produce ready-to-cook pizzas.