Where Did Pizza Originate?

By Sharon Omondi on August 29 2017 in Society

Pizza is one of the world's favorite fast food choices. It originally came from Italy.


Pizza is a type of fast food made of yeasted flat bread. Although precursors of what we understand today to be pizza have existed for hundreds of years, an Italian man from Naples named Raffaelle Esposito is said to be the "father of modern pizza". He began selling pizza in as early as 1889.

Pizza is usually garnished with cheese, tomato sauce, a selection of meats, vegetables, and other condiments - as it pleases the cook. Pizza can be baked or grilled in an oven and cheese is an important component in preparing it. There are many varieties of pizza which vary with each country. They include Tandoori Paneer pizza (India), Spicy Pizza Balado (Indonesia), Pizza Margherita (Italy), Pizza al taglio (Rome), Sicilian pizza (Sicily), Mexican Pizza (Mexico), New-York style pizza (New York), and Chocolate Pizza in Brazil. Some of the common worldwide pizza restaurants include Pizza Hut, Dominos, Little Caesars, and Sbarro.

Brief History of Pizza

The earliest Pizza is said to have been eaten by Greeks who had settled in Italy in 600 BC. However, pizza truly began to gain popularity around the year 1889, when the cook Esposito was invited to make pizza in honour of a visiting queen called Margherita. The Pizza, which Queen Margherita found very much to her liking, was made with tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella. Later Esposito named this pizza style after the queen.

Pizza was introduced to the United States by Italian immigrants in the 19th century. It quickly became popular in cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago. In fact, in the 1900s, the first American pizza shop was opened in New York by Gennuardo Lombardi. During the subsequent years, pizza spread to other US cities and eventaully to the entire world.

The American link has always been very important in the history of pizza. In fact, are you aware that there exists a National Pizza Month in the US? The month of October was made Pizza Month by Gerry Durnell in 1984. On this day, people consume varieties of pizza and visit several pizzerias.

Pizza World Records

The largest pizza ever was prepared in Rome in 2012. It was named “Ottavia” and measured 13, 570 ft2 (1,261 m2). Then, in 2016, the longest pizza ever was made in Naples. The pizza was 1.85m long and was prepared using many ovens wheeled along its length.

Besides these two pizza accolades, there is also a record of the most expensive pizza of all time. According to the Guiness World Records, this expensive pizza is found in Maze Restaurant in London and costs 100 Sterling pounds. Today there are even more dear costs of pizza such as £4,200 (Haggis Restaurant in Glasgow, Scotland) and US$1,000 (Nino’s Bellissima pizzeria, New York City in US). However, these are not yet recorded in the Guiness World Records.

One Great Invention!

The invention of pizza has greatly revolutionized the world of fast foods. The history behind the snack food is fascinating. Businesses keep growing and making huge profits with the invention of various varieties of pizza modified to suit any palate.

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