Pizza Recipes

Pizza has its origins in Italy, particularly in Naples, where it emerged as a popular street food in the 18th century. The earliest forms of pizza were simple flatbreads topped with ingredients like garlic, herbs, and cheese. These early pizzas were a convenient and affordable meal for the working class.

The pizza we know today, with its tomato sauce and cheese toppings, is attributed to the late 19th century in Naples. Tomatoes, a New World food, were introduced to Europe in the 16th century but were initially viewed with suspicion and were not widely used in Italian cuisine until much later. Once tomatoes became more accepted, they were added as a topping to pizzas, along with cheese, usually mozzarella, which helped create the classic pizza Margherita.  The story goes that in 1889, the pizzaiolo (pizza maker) Raffaele Esposito created a pizza in honor of Queen Margherita of Savoy, using tomatoes (red), mozzarella (white), and basil (green) to represent the colors of the Italian flag. This pizza gained popularity and became known as the Margherita pizza, which remains a staple of Neapolitan pizza to this day. Pizza's popularity grew beyond Naples as Italian immigrants brought their culinary traditions to other parts of the world, especially the United States. The first documented pizzeria in the U.S. was Lombardi's in New York City, opened in 1905. From there, pizza spread across the country and underwent various adaptations to suit local tastes, leading to the development of regional styles like New York-style, Chicago-style, and California-style pizza. Today, pizza is enjoyed worldwide in countless variations, from traditional Neapolitan pizzas to gourmet creations with innovative toppings, reflecting its evolution from humble beginnings to a globally beloved dish.