Pizza: From Naples to the World
The flatbread that became a global meal. Modern pizza was born in Naples, came to America with Italian immigrants and became a global fast food. Margherita, Lombardi's and regional styles.
Pizza margherita in Naples: Valerio Capello at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Naples' street food
Flatbreads with toppings are ancient, but pizza with tomato is a Naples creation from the 1700s and 1800s, after tomatoes from the Americas became common in southern Italy. Sold cheaply on the streets, it fed working families. A popular story says pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito made a pizza in the colours of the Italian flag for Queen Margherita in 1889, though historians debate the details.
Pizza crosses the Atlantic
Italian immigrants brought pizza to American cities. Lombardi's in New York's Little Italy is often called the first licensed pizzeria in the US, from 1905. Pizza became a national favourite after the 1940s, then a fast food staple with chains like Pizza Hut in 1958 and Domino's in 1960.
Regional styles
Neapolitan pizza is soft and blistered, baked in a very hot wood-fired oven in about 90 seconds. New York slices are large, thin and foldable. Chicago deep dish is baked in a tall pan with cheese under the sauce, and Detroit-style is square with crispy, cheesy edges. In 2017 UNESCO added the art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo to its list of intangible cultural heritage.
Fast food pizza today
Chain pizza competes on delivery speed, deals and apps, while independent pizzerias compete on dough and ovens. Our Pizza Hut and Domino's pages cover the big chains' stories.
Menu guide: classic pizzas
A margherita has tomato, mozzarella and basil. A marinara, the older Neapolitan classic, has tomato, garlic, oregano and olive oil but no cheese. Pepperoni is the most popular topping in the US. Hawaiian, with ham and pineapple, was created in Canada in the 1960s by a Greek-Canadian restaurateur. New Haven apizza is charred and thin, and its white clam pie is famous.
Did you know? True Neapolitan pizza has rules set by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, covering flour, dough fermentation, hand stretching and baking in a wood-fired oven at around 485 degrees Celsius for 60 to 90 seconds.
- Pizza margherita in Naples: Valerio Capello at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Text written by Fast Food Run.
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