If you are like me, you love pizza. We usually order delivery pizza at least three times a month. And I am not so particular about my brand of pizza either. Pizza Hut, Papa John’s, Dominos, or a local chain, I usually never order from the same one twice because I like to switch it up a little. I also order different toppings – veggie lover’s one time, meat lover’s the next. Did you know that each year, every American eats an average of twenty-three pounds of pizza? Were you aware that the preferred toppings are pepperoni and cheese? You may be wondering “where did pizza come from and why do we love it so much?”
By definition, pizza is a baked pie made up of shallow bread-like crust covered with a tomato based sauce, cheese, and other toppings. The word pizza is an Old Italian word that means “the point.” No one is positive who invented pizza. It may have been the Phoenicians, the Greeks or even the Romans. However, the Italians often get the credit because it became a staple of their diet long ago. We do know that as far back as the 6th century B.C., the soldiers of Darius the Great (during the Persian Empire) baked flat bread and covered it with dates and cheese. Among the ruins of Pompeii, evidence of a flat flour cake was found as well as shops that had tools resembling a pizzeria.
It is obvious civilization has loved pizza for years! But, how did it get so popular in the United States? By the early 20th century, pizza had made its way to America, through Italian immigrants. However, it was the U.S. soldiers of World War II that really helped popularize pizza in the New World. Those stationed in Italy during the war, loved the new dish they had discovered – pizza! So when they returned home, so did their desire for more pizza. This made pizzerias in New York and Chicago very popular. In fact, both locations have noticeably different pizza styles. Which New York pizza is generally thinner with more ingredients, Chicago has a thinner, crispier crust. All this attention led to frozen pizza in the 1950’s and eventually pizza delivered right to your door.
Pizza has been around for thousands of years and no doubt will continue to be around for many, many more.