The history of pizza | CNN Travel

(CNN) – What first comes to mind when you think of Italy?

For some, it will be Renaissance art on display in every corner of the country. For others, it will be ancient Rome – the magnificent Colosseum, perhaps. But for many, it will be another big round Italian icon and eminently photogenic: a pizza wheel.

Colorful, comforting and infinitely tasty, it is no wonder that pizza is one of the most beloved dishes in the world. It’s a food that has transcended its Italian origins to find new dishes – from pineapple-topped pizzas to deep Chicago-style pies.

It is no wonder that there are entire days dedicated to him around the world – from World Pizza Day in January to National Pizza Day, which takes place in the United States every February 9th.

But while we think of it as a global phenomenon of the 20th century, pizza didn’t start traveling just when it crossed the Atlantic. In fact, he made his first cross-cultural trip some 2,000 years earlier.

“The ancient Greeks had ‘pissa’ or ‘pita’, and a recent study has linked the term ‘pizza’ with the various ‘pita’ that exist throughout the Mediterranean. So the concept is very old – but [ancient pissa] it was bread, sometimes fried and sometimes baked, possibly with spices. “

The food appeared again – this time as “pizza” – in 997 AD. A document for renting a house in Gaeta, north of Naples, promised to pay the owner pork and pizza – but even so, says Zancani, the mysterious “pizza” would have been pieces of bread.

Advancing to 1570, the Pope’s chef had a pizza recipe – but it was “essentially a cake”, says Zancani, made with almonds and sugar.

When pizza became pizza

Finally, 700 years after its debut as a bargaining chip, tasty pizza arrived in Naples in the early 18th century. But its initial shape – baked bread covered in pork fat (and then olive oil) with cheese on top – does not seem like the kind of food that could conquer the world.

Enter the humble tomato. In 1760, fresh tomatoes arrived in Naples – and what we recognize as pizza hit the streets.

City visitors began to spread the word about this new street food. Alexandre Dumas, author of “The Three Musketeers”. he wrote with enthusiasm about the different covers, while Carlo Collodi, the creator of Pinocchio, protested against them. Samuel Morse, inventor of the Morse Code, hated pizza. He appears to have been a minority, however – King Bourbon of Naples, Ferdinand, even had a brick pizza oven installed in his summer residence. “It was a poor man’s food, but he obviously liked it,” says Zancani.

Then came that revolutionary moment that we all heard about. The king and queen of the newly unified Italy came to visit Naples in 1889 and Queen Margarita was eager to try the local specialty.

“She contacted the best pizza maker [pizza-maker] in Naples and offered him three types: white with bacon, caciocavallo cheese and basil; olive oil and anchovies; and tomatoes, mozzarella and basil “, says Zancani.

“The story goes that the queen chose the third because it reminded her of the flag of Italy.”

The Margherita pizza was born.

“So, it took off in a very big way,” says Zancani.

Naples, still central to pizza

Not only did the dish go around the world, it also put Naples on the map for countless visitors who want to eat a “real” pizza.

“As I like to say, Neapolitan pizza has no inventors, parents or owners – it comes from the ingenuity of the Neapolitan people. Pizza is Naples and Naples is pizza.”

“Pizza belongs to Naples,” he says, comparing the Neapolitan art of making pizza to the footballing skills of Maradona, who played for Napoli from 1984 to 1991.

“He didn’t have the technique, but he had football inside him – he was a genius with a magical touch. In Naples, the pizzaioli [pizza-makers] have the same magic touch. “

Immigration made him travel

After winning the royal seal of approval, the pizza was officially here to stay, but instead of being Queen Margherita who sparked the global trend, it was the poorest immigrants from Italy who popularized it worldwide.

The early 19th century saw the massive migration from southern Italy to the United States. And, of course, they took their recipes with them.

“Americans say that the pizza was created by Neapolitans, but given to the world by Americans. I agree, ”says Diego Zancani.

She compares the evolution of pizza in the United States to the movie “Big Night”, in which two first-generation Italian immigrants (played by Tony Shalhoub and Stanley Tucci) open a restaurant on the Jersey Shore and disagree about adapting the food to American tastes.

Ristaino also mentions another key community in popularizing pizza: American troops.

“When the Americans came to Italy at the end of the war, they found they loved pizza, so they brought it back to the United States,” she says.

“Before, it was mainly located in Italian-American culture, but after the war it became a dish that other people would eat. The different types of pizza in the United States have developed according to needs and populations in different areas. are different populations in New York from Chicago. The Italians took pizza from Naples and adapted it to people in the region. People are very talented at adapting. “

They are also talented at innovating. Zancani – who remembers eating pizza when he was a student in London as “the cheapest way to survive” – ​​says that the American innovation of freezing pizza dough in the 1950s was what brought food around the world. He reckons that, despite being about Naples, Dean Martin’s 1953 success, “That’s Amore”, helped consolidate it as a fully American food.

Foreign pizzas are ‘transvestites’ – but that’s okay

But while pizza was conquering the world, there was a country where its appeal was more limited: Italy itself.

“Pizza remained a Neapolitan thing for many years – before World War II, it was barely known north of Rome and was not an immediate success. It came with the internal migration of the 1950s and 1960s ”, says Zancani.

Today, of course, that has changed – pizza is as popular in Italy as anywhere else, with the Roman variant (a thinner base) rivaling the original from Naples.

And if you think Italians are horrified by the global bastardization of their creation, think again.

“This is what happens with all foods – they adapt to local tastes,” says Zancani, who admits that his favorite is the original Neapolitan.

“The American style is just different – the same with the ingredients. Hawaiian pineapple pizza is a strange concept, but if you like it, great. Yes, it’s a scam in a way, but most of the food in a way is a farce. “

And not even AVPN’s Antonio Pace is angry with the deep dish pizza.

“I can do nothing but respect those who make any type of pizza with dedication and sacrifice,” he says.

“We never said that Neapolitan pizza is the best; we just reiterate that it is different.

“Our strong point is simplicity and we are happy that in recent years several types of American pizza have been evolving from products rich in ingredients and not always well assembled, to a product with high quality and well selected ingredients”.

How to Make Authentic Neapolitan Pizza

If you want real Naples style pizza, AVPN is on hand to help you. Since 1984, they have been training and examining pizzerias around the world, recognizing their products as authentic Naples style.

“At that time, pizzerias in the rest of Italy and abroad were beginning to develop and we realized that their product was very different from ours. Our fear was that with this type of pizza spreading around the world, the original Neapolitan recipe would be forgotten, ”says Pace, who loves traditional fillings, such as marinara and, his favorite, Margherita.

Your solution? Found the association and impose strict rules for pizzas made by its affiliates.

Today, AVPN rules for making real Neapolitan pizza reach 14 pages and cover everything from the flour and the temperature of the water entering the dough, to the time of fermentation, shape of the pizza, origin of the ingredients and instructions for cooking – just 60-90 seconds on a 380-430 C plate, or 716-806 F.

Aspiring pizzaioli must also upload videos of their pizza making process from start to finish – from making and shaping the dough, to adding the toppings and baking. After passing the first stage, they are contacted by an instructor or a verified pizzaiolo – who pretends to be a regular customer and tastes the pizza.

To date, 854 pizzerias in 52 countries are members of the association. “We are particularly proud of the latest affiliation – a pizzeria in Egypt run by a former student of ours,” said Pace. “It is the first in Africa and means that we are now present on five continents.”

Go to Naples and you will probably hear that no pizza outside the city will taste the same – something to do with the air, they say, or the water. But while Pace suggests that visitors come to Naples and wander the alleys of the historic center, smelling the freshly baked dough in the air (and even taking a full-day course to make pizza with AVPN), he says that belief is popularly correct.

“Essentially, a real Neapolitan pizza is made with simple ingredients: water, flour, salt and yeast, with no added fats or sugars. It must be allowed to rise for at least 12 hours and is cooked in a wood oven for 60-90 seconds.

“We have always said that the quality of a real Neapolitan pizza is not linked to either the dialect or nationality of the pizzaiolo, but to a production method that has no secrets – although many people like you to think. Yes,” he says.

So, if you’re outside of Naples, don’t be afraid. This can also be amore.