A Naples Specialty - The History Of Pizza
from Italian Traditional Food

Pizza History

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If you were to ask an Italian where pizza is from, you will receive several different answers. While it is most noted to be a Naples specialty, the fact remains that pizza has a cloudy history. Pizza has made its way around the globe since the 19th century, and while it is known that this dish was originally from the Campania region few actually can tell the exact way it was created.

There are several stories that give clues to how this fantastic dish came about, but up until this point there have been very few proven facts about the tales of the pie.

As An Edible Plate

All through ancient history, the pizza was referred to as the edible plate. This Naples specialty has made its rounds on this planet and each country and continent has had its own encounter and variation with this dish. It was said that this “bread” was baked on the shields of Persian soldiers, and that this flatbread was topped with cheese and dates.

Other civilizations used this flatbread in similar fashion, and applied the likes of garlic, herbs, and cheese to make the most of this simple bread. By applying all of these various ingredients, the town’s people could actually get better taste from this bread making it far more than a necessity and more of a treat.

Naples Does It Right

Between the 16th and the 18th century the tomato made its way over to Europe from the Americas. This fruit was at one time considered very poisonous, so it was avoided for a great deal of time.

Once the Naples community took wind that this nightshade fruit was not in fact poisonous, the ventured as far as to place this fruit on their flatbread. This is the beginning of the Pizza revolution, and the poor took to this meal with zest, while tourists looked in the less fortunate areas of Naples to try this dish that they have heard of.

Most of the pizzas that were being produced in Naples up until around 1830 were made in open-air pizza ovens on street corners and makeshift stands. Pizza from this area at the time is flavored with oil, tomato, cheese lard, and anchovies, tallow. And is generally large enough to serve one person, or split between two people. This made the pizza very convenient for tourists that were travelling through the region as they got their fill, and could carry the remainder in their packs.

Still Going Strong

Today this specialty of Naples is still going strong, and pizza has seen the evolution of several different ingredients and size or shape variants. This is one of the most versatile foods you can work with, and you will never have to worry about not having a pizza to please every palette today. With the introduction of ingredients such as pineapple, ground beef, and hot peppers, the pizza is one of the most personable foods you will ever encounter making it one of the most appealing as well.

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