The History of that beloved pizza. Pizza is a beloved dish enjoyed by people all over the world, but have you ever wondered who invented it?

The origins of pizza can be traced back to ancient civilizations. The word pizza can be traced back to the southern town of Gaeta, which was documented in 997CE. It was a flattish bread with toppings enjoyed by other cultures back to ancient times. Pizza, as we know it today, comes from Naples, but the Greeks, Egyptians, Persians, and Romans all had their version. Due to Naples being founded by the Greeks, it's only natural that "plakous" should carry on in Neapolitan society, evolving in its own Neapolitan way. In ancient times, the Greeks and Egyptians were known to have enjoyed flatbreads topped with various ingredients, including olive oil and herbs. The Romans also had a dish called "placinta," a flatbread topped with cheese and honey. However, these early versions of pizza were quite different from the pizza we know today.

In the 16th century, pizza was street food for Naples's poor, working-class citizens. The city of Naples, Italy was a major port and a melting pot of cultures, and it was here that pizza as we know it began to take shape. The poor people of Naples would often make a dough of flour, water, and yeast and top it with whatever ingredients they had. This included tomatoes, which had been brought to Europe from the Americas in the 16th century. In addition, Mozzarella cheese, which was also a new ingredient at the time, was added to the pizza. A pizza in Naples was a thin cake of dough fried in oil at a stand in the street.

Until the mid-20th century in Italy, pizza was limited to the Naples area. Curiously enough, it was not until the 18th century that pizza began to take on its modern form. Pizza Margherita, made with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil, was created in 1889 by Raffaele Esposito, a Neapolitan pizzaiolo (pizza maker). He made this pizza in honor of Queen Margherita of Savoy. This pizza was a sensation and soon became popular all over Italy. Pizza quickly became a staple food in Italy and began to spread to other parts of Europe and the world.

In the United States, Italian immigrants introduced pizza in the late 19th century, but it wasn't until after World War II that it really took off in popularity. Pizzerias were springing up just after the turn of the century in New York, Boston, Chicago, and St. Louis. The influx of Neapolitan immigrants working in factories in America gave birth to pizza culture.

The first licensed pizzeria, Lombardi's, opened in 1905 in Manhattan, but homemade pizzas were served on New York streets much before that. Lombardi's is still operating in a different location, with their original pizza oven. By the 1960s, pizza was gaining more and more popularity in America.

In Canada, restauranteur Sam Panopoulos created the Hawaiian Pizza, taking the world by storm. Nowadays, all sorts of innovative agrodolce pizza can be found everywhere, from chic restaurants to neighborhood bars.

Today, pizza can be found in every corner of the globe, with each country putting their own unique spin on the dish. About 13% of Americans consume pizza on any given day. That comes out to around 350 slices per second. So if Italian food snobs could see the ubiquitous success of pizza in the world today, they would be eating their words.

Pizza has come a long way from its ancient origins to become the beloved dish it is today. And it's all thanks to the ingenuity and creativity of the people of Naples, who took basic ingredients and turned them into a delicious and universally loved food. And it's also thanks to Raffaele Esposito, who created Pizza Margherita, which is considered one of the best pizzas in the world today.