Yes, we all know that Italy is famous to be the country of pasta, gelato and pizza. A great part of Italian culture is linked to culinary traditions, which are different in every region and appreciated in every part of the world.
But what’s the real history of pizza? What is it named after and when was it cooked for the first time?
The origin of this dish is primordial: we can talk about “pizza” in the moment when men started to cook narrow slices of unleavened bread on hot stones. The dough was made with water and squashed barley grains, so it took the name of “pizza” as it derived from the Latin “pinsere” which means “to squash”, “to beat”.
Egyptians used yeast for the first time and this new type of preparation started to be used as currency of exchange in international trades.
The following developments took place in Southern Italy in order to make the “pizza” tastier. Initially, cooks prepared a flatbread pizza with garlic, lard and salt, then it was modified using oil, cheese and some aromatic herbs, such as basil. Moreover, another kind of “schiacciata” called “cicinielli” was born in this period, which contained portions of fish.
The tomato sauce was introduced following the importation from America and the distribution by Spanish in Europe. As it is stated by a 1778 document called “Il Cuoco Galante” by Vincenzo Corrado, the sauce was firstly used to accompany macaroni, and not pizza.
The first pizza with tomatoes dates back to 1840-50, when it was added to a pizza with buffalo mozzarella.
The official launch of this dish occurred in 1889, when Don Raffaele Esposito and his wife Donna Rosa Brandi were invited to the court of the King of Italy Umberto I and Queen Margherita, who wanted to taste their famous pizza. They prepared three well-known types of it, which were the pizza “alla Vasenicola” (with lard, cheese and basil), the pizza “alla Marinara” (with tomato sauce, garlic, oil and oregano) and the pizza “Margherita” (with tomato sauce, mozzarella, oil and basil), that was named after the Queen. The colors of the dish were the same of the Italian “tricolore” flag, so pizza became the symbol of this country in the world.
After 1889, the dish became very popular in Italy and abroad, especially in America where emigrated “pizzaioli” imported it at the beginning of the 20th century. Although many varieties of pizza have spread in the last decades, the authentic and traditional recipe is the Neapolitan one, where the dough is soft and narrow with high borders called “cornicione”.
So, if you would like to taste the “real Italian pizza”, we sincerely suggest you visit Naples and Campania! Choose one of our properties in the region, near Naples and Amalfi Coastline, and choose your favorite!
