happy_rooster
2004-04-06 00:03:39 UTC
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Pizza/PizzaHistory.htm
History and Legends of Pizza
by Linda Stradley, author of I'll Have What They're Having - Legendary
Local Cuisine
© copyright 2002-2004 by Linda Stradley - All rights reserved.
Pizza is a baked pie of Italian origin consisting of a shallow bread-like
crust covered with seasoned tomato sauce, cheese, and often other toppings
such as sausage or olive. The world pizza is believed to be from an Old
Italian word meaning "a point," which in turn became the Italian word
"pizziare," which means "to pinch" or "pluck."
The pizza could have been invented by the Phoenicians, the Greeks, or The
Romans or anyone, in fact, who learned the secret of mixing flour with
water and heating it on a hot stone. In one of its many forms, pizza has
been a basic part of the Italian diet since the Stone Age. This earliest
form of pizza was a crude bread that was baked beneath the stones of the
fire. After cooking, it was seasoned with a variety of different toppings
and used instead of plates and utensils to sop up broth or gravies. It is
said that the idea of using bread as a plate came from the Greeks who ate
flat round bread (plankuntos) baked with an assortment of toppings. It was
eaten by the working man and his family because it was a thrifty and
convenient food.
6th Century B.C.
At the height of the Persian Empire, it is said that the soldiers of
Darius the Great (521-486 B.C.), accustomed to lengthy marches, baked a
kind of bread flat upon their shields and then covered it with cheese and
dates.
3rd Century B.C.
Marcus Porcius Cato (234-149 B.C.), also know as Cato the Elder, wrote the
first history of Rome. He wrote about "flat round of dough dressed with
olive oil, herbs, and honey baked on stones."
1st Century B.C.
In "The Aeneid" written by Virgil (70-19 B.C.), it describes the legendary
origin of the Roman nation, describing cakes or circles of bread: "Beneath
a shady tree, the hero sprad his table on the turf, with cakes of bread;
And, with his chiefs, on forest fruits he fed. They sate; and (not without
the god's command). Their homely far dispatch'd, the hungry band invade
their trenchers next, and soon devour to mend the scenty meal, their cakes
of flour...See, we devour the plates on which we fed."
1st Century A.D.
Our knowledge of Roman cookery derives mainly from the excavations at
Pompeii and from the great cookery book of Marcus Gavius Apicius called
"De Re Coquinaria." Apicius was a culinary expert and from his writings,
he provided us with information on ancient Roman cuisine. It is recorded
that so great was Apicius' love of food that he poisoned himself for fear
of dying of hunger when his finances fell into disarray. Apicius' book
also contains recipes which involve putting a variety of ingredients on a
base of bread (a hollowed-out loaf). The recipe uses chicken meat, pine
kernels, cheese, garlic, mint, pepper, and oil (all ingredients of the
contemporary pizza). The recipe concludes the instruction "insuper nive,
et inferes" which means "cool in snow and serve!"
79 A.D. - In the ashes after Mount Versuvius erupted and smothered Pompeii
on August 24, 79 A.D., evidence was found of a flat flour cake that was
baked and widely eaten at that time in Pompeii and nearby Neopolis, The
Greek colony that became Naples. Evidence was also found in Pompeii of
shops, complete with marble slabs and other tools of the trade, which
resemble the conventional pizzeria. The Museo Nazionale at Naples exhibits
a statue from Pompeii which because of its stance is called I pizzaiolo.
16th Century.
1522 - Tomatoes were brought back to Europe from the New World (Peru).
Originally they were thought to be poisonous, but later the poorer people
of Naples added the new tomatoes to their yeast dough and created the
first simple pizza, as we know it. They usually had only flour, olive oil,
lard, cheese, and herbs with which to feed their families. All of Italy
proclaimed the Neapolitan pies to be the best. At that time, the Tavern of
the Cerrigloi was a hangout for the Spanish soldiers of the Viceroy. It is
said that they flocked there to feast on the specialty of the house -
pizza.
17th Century.
By the 17th Century, pizza had achieved a local popularity among visitors
to Naples who would venture into the poorer sections to taste this peasant
dish made by men called "pizzaioli."
18th Century.
Queen Maria Carolina d'Asburgo Lorena (1752-1814), wife of the King of
Naples, Ferdinando IV (1751-1821), had a special oven built in their
summer palace of Capodimonte so that their chef could serve pizzas to
herself and to her guests.
19th Century.
1889 - Umberto I (1844-1900), King of Italy, and his wife, Queen
Margherita di Savoia (1851-1926), in Naples on holiday, called to their
palace the most popular of the pizzaioli (pizza chef), Raffaele Esposito,
to taste his specialties. He prepared three kinds of pizzas: one with pork
fat, cheese, and basil; one with garlic, oil, and tomatoes; and another
with mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes (in the colors of the Italian flag).
The Queen liked the last kind of pizza so much that she sent to the
pizzzaiolo a letter to thank him saying, "I assure you that the three
kinds of pizza you have prepared were very delicious." Raffaele Esposito
dedicated his specialty to the Queen and called it "Pizza Margherita."
This pizza set the standard by which today's pizza evolved as well as
firmly established Naples as the pizza capitol of the world.
In the late 19th century, pizza was sold in the streets in Naples at
breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was cut from a large tray that had been
cooked in the baker's oven and had a simple topping of mushrooms and
anchovies. As pizza became more popular, stalls were set up where the
dough was shaped as customers ordered. Various toppings were invented. The
stalls soon developed into the pizzeria, an open-air place for people to
congregate, eat, drink, and talk.
Pizza migrated to America with the Italians in the latter half of the 19th
century. Pizza was introduced to Chicago by a peddler who walked up and
down Taylor Street with a metal washtub of pizzas on his head, crying his
wares at two cents a chew. This was the traditional way pizza used to be
sold in Naples, in copper cylindrical drums with false bottoms that were
packed with charcoal from the oven to keep the pizzas hot. The name of the
pizzeria was embossed on the drum.
20th Century.
1905 - Gennaro Lombardi claims to have opened the first United States
Pizzeria in New York City at 53 1/2 Spring Street. Lombardo is now known
as America's "Patriaca dela Pizza." It wasn't until the early 1930s that
he added tables and chairs and sold spaghetti as well.
1943 - Chicago-style deep-dish pizza (a pizza with a flaky crust that
rises an inch or more above the plate and surrounds deep piles of
toppings) was created by Ike Sewell at his bar and grill called Pizzeria
Uno.
1945 - With the stationing of American soldiers in Italy during World War
II (1941-1945) came a growing appreciation of pizza. When the soldiers
returned from war, they brought with them a taste for pizza.
1948 - The first commercial pizza-pie mix, "Roman Pizza Mix," was produced
in Worcester, Massachusetts by Frank A. Fiorello.
1950s - It wasn't until the 1950s that Americans really started noticing
pizza. Celebrities of Italian origin, such as Jerry Colonna, Frank
Sinatra, Jimmy Durante, and baseball star Joe DiMaggio all devoured
pizzas. It is also said that the line from the song by famous singer, Dean
Martin; "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that amore" set
America singing and eating pizzas.
1957 - Frozen pizzas were introduced and found in local grocery stores.
The first was marketed by the Celentano Brothers. Pizza soon became the
most popular of all frozen food.
History and Legends of Pizza
by Linda Stradley, author of I'll Have What They're Having - Legendary
Local Cuisine
© copyright 2002-2004 by Linda Stradley - All rights reserved.
Pizza is a baked pie of Italian origin consisting of a shallow bread-like
crust covered with seasoned tomato sauce, cheese, and often other toppings
such as sausage or olive. The world pizza is believed to be from an Old
Italian word meaning "a point," which in turn became the Italian word
"pizziare," which means "to pinch" or "pluck."
The pizza could have been invented by the Phoenicians, the Greeks, or The
Romans or anyone, in fact, who learned the secret of mixing flour with
water and heating it on a hot stone. In one of its many forms, pizza has
been a basic part of the Italian diet since the Stone Age. This earliest
form of pizza was a crude bread that was baked beneath the stones of the
fire. After cooking, it was seasoned with a variety of different toppings
and used instead of plates and utensils to sop up broth or gravies. It is
said that the idea of using bread as a plate came from the Greeks who ate
flat round bread (plankuntos) baked with an assortment of toppings. It was
eaten by the working man and his family because it was a thrifty and
convenient food.
6th Century B.C.
At the height of the Persian Empire, it is said that the soldiers of
Darius the Great (521-486 B.C.), accustomed to lengthy marches, baked a
kind of bread flat upon their shields and then covered it with cheese and
dates.
3rd Century B.C.
Marcus Porcius Cato (234-149 B.C.), also know as Cato the Elder, wrote the
first history of Rome. He wrote about "flat round of dough dressed with
olive oil, herbs, and honey baked on stones."
1st Century B.C.
In "The Aeneid" written by Virgil (70-19 B.C.), it describes the legendary
origin of the Roman nation, describing cakes or circles of bread: "Beneath
a shady tree, the hero sprad his table on the turf, with cakes of bread;
And, with his chiefs, on forest fruits he fed. They sate; and (not without
the god's command). Their homely far dispatch'd, the hungry band invade
their trenchers next, and soon devour to mend the scenty meal, their cakes
of flour...See, we devour the plates on which we fed."
1st Century A.D.
Our knowledge of Roman cookery derives mainly from the excavations at
Pompeii and from the great cookery book of Marcus Gavius Apicius called
"De Re Coquinaria." Apicius was a culinary expert and from his writings,
he provided us with information on ancient Roman cuisine. It is recorded
that so great was Apicius' love of food that he poisoned himself for fear
of dying of hunger when his finances fell into disarray. Apicius' book
also contains recipes which involve putting a variety of ingredients on a
base of bread (a hollowed-out loaf). The recipe uses chicken meat, pine
kernels, cheese, garlic, mint, pepper, and oil (all ingredients of the
contemporary pizza). The recipe concludes the instruction "insuper nive,
et inferes" which means "cool in snow and serve!"
79 A.D. - In the ashes after Mount Versuvius erupted and smothered Pompeii
on August 24, 79 A.D., evidence was found of a flat flour cake that was
baked and widely eaten at that time in Pompeii and nearby Neopolis, The
Greek colony that became Naples. Evidence was also found in Pompeii of
shops, complete with marble slabs and other tools of the trade, which
resemble the conventional pizzeria. The Museo Nazionale at Naples exhibits
a statue from Pompeii which because of its stance is called I pizzaiolo.
16th Century.
1522 - Tomatoes were brought back to Europe from the New World (Peru).
Originally they were thought to be poisonous, but later the poorer people
of Naples added the new tomatoes to their yeast dough and created the
first simple pizza, as we know it. They usually had only flour, olive oil,
lard, cheese, and herbs with which to feed their families. All of Italy
proclaimed the Neapolitan pies to be the best. At that time, the Tavern of
the Cerrigloi was a hangout for the Spanish soldiers of the Viceroy. It is
said that they flocked there to feast on the specialty of the house -
pizza.
17th Century.
By the 17th Century, pizza had achieved a local popularity among visitors
to Naples who would venture into the poorer sections to taste this peasant
dish made by men called "pizzaioli."
18th Century.
Queen Maria Carolina d'Asburgo Lorena (1752-1814), wife of the King of
Naples, Ferdinando IV (1751-1821), had a special oven built in their
summer palace of Capodimonte so that their chef could serve pizzas to
herself and to her guests.
19th Century.
1889 - Umberto I (1844-1900), King of Italy, and his wife, Queen
Margherita di Savoia (1851-1926), in Naples on holiday, called to their
palace the most popular of the pizzaioli (pizza chef), Raffaele Esposito,
to taste his specialties. He prepared three kinds of pizzas: one with pork
fat, cheese, and basil; one with garlic, oil, and tomatoes; and another
with mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes (in the colors of the Italian flag).
The Queen liked the last kind of pizza so much that she sent to the
pizzzaiolo a letter to thank him saying, "I assure you that the three
kinds of pizza you have prepared were very delicious." Raffaele Esposito
dedicated his specialty to the Queen and called it "Pizza Margherita."
This pizza set the standard by which today's pizza evolved as well as
firmly established Naples as the pizza capitol of the world.
In the late 19th century, pizza was sold in the streets in Naples at
breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was cut from a large tray that had been
cooked in the baker's oven and had a simple topping of mushrooms and
anchovies. As pizza became more popular, stalls were set up where the
dough was shaped as customers ordered. Various toppings were invented. The
stalls soon developed into the pizzeria, an open-air place for people to
congregate, eat, drink, and talk.
Pizza migrated to America with the Italians in the latter half of the 19th
century. Pizza was introduced to Chicago by a peddler who walked up and
down Taylor Street with a metal washtub of pizzas on his head, crying his
wares at two cents a chew. This was the traditional way pizza used to be
sold in Naples, in copper cylindrical drums with false bottoms that were
packed with charcoal from the oven to keep the pizzas hot. The name of the
pizzeria was embossed on the drum.
20th Century.
1905 - Gennaro Lombardi claims to have opened the first United States
Pizzeria in New York City at 53 1/2 Spring Street. Lombardo is now known
as America's "Patriaca dela Pizza." It wasn't until the early 1930s that
he added tables and chairs and sold spaghetti as well.
1943 - Chicago-style deep-dish pizza (a pizza with a flaky crust that
rises an inch or more above the plate and surrounds deep piles of
toppings) was created by Ike Sewell at his bar and grill called Pizzeria
Uno.
1945 - With the stationing of American soldiers in Italy during World War
II (1941-1945) came a growing appreciation of pizza. When the soldiers
returned from war, they brought with them a taste for pizza.
1948 - The first commercial pizza-pie mix, "Roman Pizza Mix," was produced
in Worcester, Massachusetts by Frank A. Fiorello.
1950s - It wasn't until the 1950s that Americans really started noticing
pizza. Celebrities of Italian origin, such as Jerry Colonna, Frank
Sinatra, Jimmy Durante, and baseball star Joe DiMaggio all devoured
pizzas. It is also said that the line from the song by famous singer, Dean
Martin; "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that amore" set
America singing and eating pizzas.
1957 - Frozen pizzas were introduced and found in local grocery stores.
The first was marketed by the Celentano Brothers. Pizza soon became the
most popular of all frozen food.
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