Before the Tomato: Ancient Origins

Pizza as we know it — dough, tomato sauce, cheese — is a relatively modern invention. But the concept of flatbread baked with toppings is ancient. Evidence of flatbreads topped with oils, herbs, and local ingredients appears across the ancient Mediterranean world, from Greek plakous to Persian soldiers baking flatbreads on shields and topping them with cheese and dates.

The Romans had their own versions: panis focacius (the ancestor of focaccia) was a flatbread baked in the ashes of a fire, sometimes seasoned with olive oil, salt, and herbs. The foundations were being laid — but without the tomato, it wasn't pizza yet.

The Tomato Changes Everything

Tomatoes arrived in Europe from the Americas in the 16th century, but they were initially feared as poisonous by much of the continent. Not so in Naples. By the late 1700s, Neapolitan street food vendors — known as pizzaioli — were selling flatbreads topped with tomatoes to the poor working classes of the city. It was cheap, fast, and delicious.

At this stage, pizza was still considered low-class food — street food eaten by the lazzaroni, Naples' urban poor. It was sold from small shops and by vendors carrying boxes of pizzas on their heads through the narrow streets.

The Queen's Pizza: Birth of the Margherita

A popular legend holds that in 1889, Queen Margherita of Savoy visited Naples and was presented with three different pizzas by the renowned pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito. She reportedly favored the one topped with tomato, mozzarella, and basil — the colors of the Italian flag. It was named in her honor: the Pizza Margherita.

Whether this story is entirely accurate (historians have raised doubts), it captures a real cultural moment: pizza was beginning to transcend its working-class origins and gain broader respectability.

Pizza Goes to America

The late 19th and early 20th centuries brought waves of Italian immigration — particularly from southern Italy and Naples — to cities like New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. The immigrants brought their food with them.

The first documented pizzeria in the United States is generally considered to be Lombardi's, opened on Spring Street in New York City in 1905 by Gennaro Lombardi. It's still operating today.

American pizza evolved rapidly to suit local tastes and ingredients. New York's water supply (famously mineral-rich) produced excellent dough. The use of low-moisture mozzarella allowed larger, more robust pies. Chicago developed its own deep-dish style in the 1940s. Pizza was becoming American.

Post-War Explosion and Global Spread

World War II played a surprising role in pizza's global spread. American soldiers stationed in Italy encountered pizza firsthand and returned home craving it. Demand for pizzerias surged. In the 1950s and 60s, pizza chains — most notably Pizza Hut (founded 1958) and Domino's (founded 1960) — industrialized pizza and distributed it across the country and eventually the world.

By the late 20th century, pizza had taken root on every inhabited continent, adapting to local tastes in remarkable ways: okonomiyaki-influenced toppings in Japan, spiced keema lamb in India, biltong and chakalaka in South Africa.

The Artisan Revival

The early 2000s saw a powerful pushback against industrial pizza. A new generation of artisan pizzerias — inspired by the Neapolitan tradition — began opening across the United States, Europe, and Australia. They emphasized quality ingredients, long-fermented doughs, wood-fired ovens, and a direct connection to Neapolitan roots.

In 2017, Neapolitan pizza-making was inscribed on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity — a recognition that this food carries genuine cultural weight, not just flavor.

Pizza Today

Today pizza is one of the most consumed foods on the planet. It spans a vast spectrum — from a $1 street slice in New York to a meticulously crafted wood-fired pie aged dough at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Home pizza making has never been more popular, fueled by social media, specialist ovens like the Ooni and Roccbox, and a genuine culture of craft and experimentation.

Whatever form it takes, pizza endures because it is endlessly adaptable, inherently communal, and deeply satisfying. That's not a bad legacy for a Neapolitan street food.