By Judy Klavens-Giunta, RDN
Pizza probably started out as a flatbread. While many cultures have flatbreads in their foodways some of the earliest instances mentioned are in Roman history:
“Pizzarelles”” which were kosher matzoh cookies eaten by Roman Jews on Passover. Pizzarelles still exist to this day in Jewish foodways along with their Italian cookie cousins pizzelles.
There is evidence of Roman soldiers baking flattened bread or matzoh on their shields and covering them with cheese and dates or cheese and olive oil 2500 years ago (500 BC).
In the Roman Empire they used flattened bread with various seasonings as an everyday meal.
In the ruins of Pompeii (near Naples-see next paragraph) they found street stands where pizza was sold, bakeries where they were made and even equipment that bakers used.
There is also archaeological evidence that Greeks as well had a “yeasted flatbread” which also had ingredients baked into it. Interestingly Naples, which is considered the most likely birthplace of the sauce and cheese flatbread we call pizza was a port city originally founded by the Greeks. So, it is more than likely the flatbread that turned into what we later came to know as pizza was of Roman/Greek origin.
According to historians, actual use of the word “pizza” was first documented in 997AD in Italy. Which is why Italy is thought to be the earliest known home of ancient pizza. More recent history names Naples as the home of pizza as we know it (with tomato and cheese toppings) but there is some thought that the it might also have come from the island of Sicily. In Sicily archeologists found remains of flattened breads and tools for their manufacture that was over 3000 years old. In the 16th century explorers brought back tomatoes to Italy from the New World which upgraded the use of the vegetable. Previously it was mostly eaten by poorer people who used them to make simple sauces. With the arrival of the “New World” tomato varieties there was a new dish created closer to pizza as we know it. In Naples, cooks began to top focaccia with tomatoes and this is one of the reasons why Naples is thought to be where the “modern” version of pizza began.
By the late 18th century, the dish reached great popularity on the streets of Naples where it was developed as an inexpensive food that could be eaten quickly and sold in the poorer sections of the city visited by many Italian tourists and European sailors. The first modern pizzeria Antica Pizzeria Port ‘Alba opened in Naples 1830, and soon after that many more followed. This Neapolitan novelty soon spread throughout Europe.
Several versions of pizza definitely originated in Naples. Pizza marinara, was usually prepared by a mariner’s (sailor) wife as a dish to serve when he returned from fishing in the Bay of Naples. Pizza marinara has a topping of tomato, oregano, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil.
Pizza Margherita legend has a much more illustrious history. It is said, but never actually proven, that in 1889, famous Naples pizza chef Rafaele Esposito made pizzas with three different kinds of topping for The King and Queen of Italy. Queen Margherita liked…. you guessed it…. a pie topped with soft white cheese, tomatoes and green basil the ingredients of today’s Margherita pizza. These colors also happen to be the colors of the Italian flag. No one knows if this story is true. However, for years, pizza remained a regional dish popular mainly in the Campania region of southern Italy.
Pizza got its start as an American staple when Italians began to migrate to the US in the 19th century. Many came from the Campania region of southern Italy where pizza was popular and they brought pizza with them introducing it to this country. At first it was called tomato pie and in fact in some places it still is. Since large concentrations of Italian immigrants settled in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and the Boston area these were the places that pizza was established and where it was originally sold by street vendors but demand eventually made it necessary to sell it in restaurants as well.
There is some controversy about who actually opened the first pizza restaurant in this country. The first pizza restaurant is said to have been opened by Gennaro Lombardi in Little Italy, Manhattan who started selling tomato pies out of his grocery store (though he might have been an employee) in 1897. In 1905, he opened the first pizza restaurant, which operated until 1984 when it closed. It was reopened 10 years later in 1994. When it closed for the first time in 1984, it had been the oldest continually operating pizza restaurant in the country. A little closer to home, after the closing of Gennaro Lombardi’s pizza restaurant in 1984, the title of continually operating pizza restaurant was inherited by Papa’s Tomato Pies in Trenton, NJ, which has operated continuously since 1912.
Initially, pizza was brought to the Trenton area with the opening of Joe's Tomato Pies in 1910. Papa's Tomato Pies followed in 1912 and De Lorenzo's Tomato Pies in 1936. While Joe's Tomato Pies has closed, both Papa's and DeLorenzo’s have been run by the same families since they opened and remain among the most popular pizzerias in the area. Boston also has put in a claim to having had the earliest pizzeria.
According to Adam Kuban, in a post in his blog Serious Eats (2009), the first printed reference to "pizza" served in the US is a 1904 article in The Boston Journal. Giovanni and Gennaro Bruno came to America from Naples, Italy in 1903 and introduced the Neapolitan pizza to Boston. Later, Vincent Bruno (Giovanni's son) went on to open the first pizzeria in Chicago.
Before the 1940s, pizza was eaten mostly by Italian immigrant families. After World War II, veterans returning from serving in Italy created a market for pizza. Pizza also rose in popularity when Italian American celebrities like Frank Sinatra began to promote it in the 1950s. By the 1960s, pizza was popular enough to be featured in an episode of Popeye the Sailor according to Hanna Miller in an article entitled “American Pie” written in 2005. Since then pizza consumption has exploded in the U.S with the creation of pizza chains like Domino's, Pizza Hut, and Papa John's to compete with local pizzerias.
As pizza’s popularity spread across the country, many restaurant owners, (not of Italian background) adapted pizza to reflect local foodways and included popular local ingredients. Hence the development of places like California Pizza Kitchen and things like Hawaiian pizza with pineapple and ham and the thicker crust versions with abundant toppings like the Chicago deep dish pizza and Rocky Mountain Pie in Colorado etc.
Whatever type is your favorite, there is no denying that pizza has become a part of American food culture. It has become an American institution. In fact, on any given day 13% of people in the US eat at least one slice of pizza. Here are links to sites with more information: History of Pizza – Wikipedia, Who Invented Pizza?, The True Story of Pizza, The History of Pizza - Origins, and A Slice of History – Pizza Through the Ages. There are probably as many theories and stories about where pizza came from as there are different types of pizza. All that matters is that an Italian regional dish of humble origins (probably beginning in ancient Rome) became a staple of American cuisine. After all who doesn’t like a slice of pizza, which after all is made of foods from three basic food groups. And of course, the more veggies you pile on the healthier you can make it. Enjoy!
Judy Klavens-Giunta is a library assistant at the Red Bank Public Library and a retired public and community health dietitian/nutritionist. She is hoping to be able to restart her program: “It’s Your Health...Eat Well, Live Well!” covering various topics about healthy lifestyle once the library reopens.