Pizza is one of those staples that we all enjoy. How many people do you know that tell you they don't like pizza? Not many. With all those great pizza spices, the gooey cheese and the delicious sauce, it's hard to not enjoy a slice. But where did pizza come from? There's a few different arguments about who invented the pie first but the idea seems to go further back than most people can imagine.
There are accounts going as far back as Ancient Greece of people placing various spices, like onion and garlic, onto flat bread to give it more of an appeal. But the first time tomato was ever added was in the late 18th century in Naples. People often put tomato on their flat bread. Naples actually used it to boost their tourism, luring people there to try their pizza, advertising it as a local specialty. The Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba is often credited as the first ever pizzeria.
We know that there are lots of different versions of pizzas today; various toppings, pizza spices and cheeses combined create different styles. But for "purists", there are only two types that are considered to be true pizza; Margherita and Marinara. The Marinara was the first incarnation, with tomato, oregano, garlic and olive oil. You can see where two of our now common pizza spices came from, they were being used at the very start. Margherita consists of mozzarella cheese and fresh basil and tomato sauce. This type of pizza is pretty common on most pizzerias today, though everyone has their own spin on it.
The pizza came to the United States with Italian immigrants in the 19th century. Some of the first places it hit were New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Philadelphia. This made sense due to the influx of Italian immigrants in these large cities. Pizza was first sold on the streets of Italian neighborhoods before starting to appear in their own pizzerias.
The popularity of pizza didn't strike across the country until after World War II. Troops stationed in Italy discovered the pizzerias and brought their appreciation for the good food back home. When word really got around, others were opening pizzerias. Chicago style deep-dish pizza came out in 1943 when the first Pizzeria Uno opened and the first Pizza Hut opened in 1958. These brands have stood the test of time and many know them well today.
Now, we have many different variations in pizza as well as many different places to go. From big brand delivery companies to the small, privately owned pizzeria that harkens back to Italy, it's hard to walk a few blocks in any city without walking by a place that serves a slice. Now you can appreciate the origins of that next, spice covered, delicious slice.
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