The History of Pizza

Pizza is the Italian food that has conquered the world: from Brussels to LA, from Beijing to Buenos Aires, pizzas and pizzerias can be found everywhere today. But what are the origins of this food and how did it rise from its humble beginnings to become the world’s best-loved dish? The story begins in the narrow alleys of Naples where, in the late eighteenth century, the city’s impoverished inhabitants lived in a state of constant hunger. Pizza was born as a street food to assuage the hunger of Naples’ poor. Cheap and versatile, it remained anonymous for more than a century – the few outsiders who encountered this strange flatbread, “more burned than cooked,” either loved it or hated it. Gradually pizza spread to other parts of Italy and then, with the mass migration of Italians to the New World, it landed in the United States, where it enjoyed unprecedented success, invigorated by new ingredients, new recipes, and new tastes. Today, Americans are the biggest consumers of pizza in the world, at 13 kilos per head per year. The renowned culinary historian Luca Cesari retraces the story of pizza’s rise from the backstreets of Naples to a global industry now worth more than $200 billion a year. He describes how pizzas were made, the ingredients used, and the reactions of travelers, critics, and consumers. Richly illustrated with recipes from different times and places, The History of Pizza will transform your view of Italy’s most iconic food.

Introduction: A global history of the world’s most-loved dish Prologue: Naples or New York? Part One: In Naples The origin of a myth     Hunger in Naples Neapolitan pizzaioli and pizzerias Key players and bakeries Deeds and misdeeds of Neapolitan pizza  The first mentions of pizza The true history of the Pizza Margherita A regal history story The mystery of the Neapolitan recipe    What the sources don’t say Beyond Naples  The historic “first wave” in Italy Part Two: Pizzas or not  Pizza before there were pizzas     From Aeneas’s bread to the piadina Pizzas that aren’t pizza Sweat, Flakey, Rustic, and Fried Part Three: Planet Pizza      Pizza’s overseas voyage Pizzaioli and pizzerias in the United States      The first Neapolitan pioneers Pizza from San Francisco to Buenos Aires     An itinerary through the Americas Global recipes Pizzas from one end of the world to the other The return trip     Pizza heads back to Italy The invention of tradition    …and the phenomenon of the ‘pizza effect’ Hamburgers and hot dogs  How a dish becomes American The invasion of the Old Continent When pizza went global Appendices     The legend about water   How you eat a pizza Pizza at the movies Conclusion     The pizza of the future Acknowledgements Notes