Pizza and its variants are among the most popular foods in the world. Pizza is sold at a variety of restaurants, including
pizzerias (pizza specialty restaurants),
Mediterranean restaurants, via
delivery, and as
street food.[8] In Italy, pizza served in a restaurant is presented unsliced, and is eaten with the use of a knife and fork.[9][10] In casual settings, however, it is typically
cut into slices to be eaten
while held in the hand. Pizza is also sold in
grocery stores in a variety of forms, including
frozen or as kits for self-assembly. They are then cooked using a home
oven.
In 2017, the world pizza market was
US$128 billion, and in the US it was $44 billion spread over 76,000 pizzerias.[11] Overall, 13% of the U.S. population aged two years and over consumed pizza on any given day.[12]
Etymology
The oldest recorded usage of the word pizza is from a
Latin text from the town of
Gaeta, then still part of the
Byzantine Empire, in 997 AD; the text states that a tenant of certain property is to give the bishop of Gaeta duodecim pizze (
lit.'twelve pizzas') every
Christmas Day, and another twelve every
Easter Sunday.[2][13]
Suggested etymologies include:
Byzantine Greek and
Late Latinpitta > pizza,cf. Modern Greek
pitta bread and the Apulia and Calabrian (then
Byzantine Italy) pitta,[14] a round flat bread baked in the oven at high temperature sometimes with toppings. The word pitta can in turn be traced to either
Ancient Greek πικτή (pikte), 'fermented pastry', which in Latin became picta, or Ancient Greek πίσσα (pissa,
Attic: πίττα, pitta), 'pitch',[15][16] or πήτεα (pḗtea), 'bran' (πητίτης, pētítēs, 'bran bread').[17]
The
Etymological Dictionary of the Italian Language explains it as coming from dialectal pinza, 'clamp', as in modern Italian pinze, 'pliers, pincers, tongs, forceps'. Their origin is from
Latinpinsere, 'to pound, stamp'.[18]
The
Lombardic word bizzo or pizzo meaning 'mouthful' (related to the English words "bit" and "bite"), which was brought to Italy in the middle of the 6th century AD by the invading
Lombards.[2][19] The shift b>p could be explained by the
High German consonant shift, and it has been noted in this connection that in German the word Imbiss means 'snack'.
A small pizza is sometimes called a pizzetta.[20] A person who makes pizza is known as a pizzaiolo.[21]
The word pizza was borrowed from Italian into English in the 1930s; before it became well known, pizza was called "tomato pie" by English speakers. Some regional pizza variations still use the name tomato pie.[22]
Records of pizza-like foods can be found throughout ancient history. In the 6th century BC, the
Persian soldiers of the
Achaemenid Empire during the rule of
Darius the Great baked flatbreads with cheese and
dates on top of their battle shields[23][24] and the
ancient Greeks supplemented their bread with
oils,
herbs, and cheese.[25][26] An early reference to a pizza-like food occurs in the Aeneid, when Celaeno, queen of the
Harpies, foretells that the Trojans would not find peace until they are forced by hunger to eat their tables (Book III). In Book VII,
Aeneas and his men are served a meal that includes round cakes (like pita bread) topped with cooked vegetables. When they eat the bread, they realize that these are the "tables" prophesied by Celaeno.[27] In 2023, archeologists discovered a fresco in
Pompeii appearing to depict a pizza-like dish among other foodstuffs and staples on a silver platter. Italy's culture minister said it "may be a distant ancestor of the modern dish".[28][29] The first mention of the word pizza comes from a notarial document written in Latin and dating to May 997 AD from
Gaeta, demanding a payment of "twelve pizzas, a pork shoulder, and a pork kidney on Christmas Day, and 12 pizzas and a couple of chickens on Easter Day".[30]
Modern pizza evolved from similar flatbread dishes in
Naples, Italy, in the 18th or early 19th century.[31] Before that time, flatbread was often topped with ingredients such as garlic, salt, lard, and cheese. It is uncertain when tomatoes were first added and there are many conflicting claims,[31] though it certainly could not have been before the 16th century and the
Columbian Exchange. Pizza was sold from open-air stands and out of pizza bakeries until about 1830, when pizzerias in Naples started to have stanze with tables where clients could sit and eat their pizzas on the spot.[32]
A popular contemporary legend holds that the archetypal pizza,
pizza Margherita, was invented in 1889, when the
Royal Palace of Capodimonte commissioned the Neapolitan pizzaiolo (pizza maker)
Raffaele Esposito to create a pizza in honor of the visiting
Queen Margherita. Of the three different pizzas he created, the Queen strongly preferred a pizza swathed in the colors of the Italian flag—red (tomato), green (basil), and white (mozzarella). Supposedly, this kind of pizza was then named after the Queen,[33] with an official letter of recognition from the Queen's "head of service" remaining to this day on display in Esposito's shop, now called the Pizzeria Brandi.[34] Later research cast doubt on this legend, undermining the authenticity of the letter of recognition, pointing that no media of the period reported about the supposed visit and that both the story and name Margherita were first promoted in the 1930s–1940s.[35][36]
Pizza was taken to the United States by
Italian immigrants in the late nineteenth century[37] and first appeared in areas where they concentrated. The country's first pizzeria,
Lombardi's, opened in New York City in 1905.[38] Following World War II, veterans returning from the
Italian Campaign, who were introduced to
Italy's native cuisine, proved a ready market for pizza in particular.[39]
Pizza is sold fresh or
frozen, and whole or in
portion-size slices. Methods have been developed to overcome challenges such as preventing the sauce from combining with the dough, and producing a crust that can be frozen and reheated without becoming rigid. There are frozen pizzas with raw ingredients and self-rising crusts.
Another form of pizza is available from
take and bake pizzerias. This pizza is assembled in the store, then sold unbaked to customers to bake in their own
ovens. Some grocery stores sell fresh dough along with sauce and basic ingredients, to assemble at home before baking in an oven.
Pizza preparation
Pizza dough being
kneaded before being left undisturbed and allowed time to
proof
A wrapped,
mass-produced frozen pizza to be baked at home
Baking
In restaurants, pizza can be baked in an oven with fire bricks above the heat source, an electric deck oven, a
conveyor belt oven, or, in traditional style in a wood or coal-fired
brick oven. The pizza is slid into the oven on a long paddle, called a
peel, and baked directly on hot bricks, a screen (a round metal grate, typically aluminum), or whatever the oven surface is. Before use, a peel is typically sprinkled with cornmeal to allow the pizza to easily slide on and off it.[43] When made at home, a pizza can be baked on a
pizza stone in a regular oven to reproduce some of the heating effect of a brick oven. Cooking directly on a metal surface results in too rapid heat transfer to the crust, burning it.[44] Some home chefs use a wood-fired pizza oven, usually installed outdoors. As in restaurants, these are often dome-shaped, as pizza ovens have been for centuries,[45] in order to achieve even heat distribution. Another variation is grilled pizza, in which the pizza is baked directly on a barbecue grill.
Greek pizza, like
deep dishChicago and
Sicilian style pizza, is baked in a pan rather than directly on the bricks of the pizza oven.
Most restaurants use standard and purpose-built pizza preparation tables to assemble their pizzas.
Mass production of pizza by
chains can be completely automated.
Pizza baking
Pizzas baking in a traditional wood-fired
brick oven
A pizza being removed with a wooden peel
Charred crust on a
pizza Margherita, an acceptable trait in artisanal pizza
Pizza grilling on an outdoor gas range
Crust
The bottom of the pizza, called the "crust", may vary widely according to style – thin as in a typical hand-tossed
Neapolitan pizza or thick as in a deep-dish
Chicago-style. It is traditionally plain, but may also be seasoned with garlic or herbs, or stuffed with cheese. The outer edge of the pizza is sometimes referred to as the cornicione.[46] Some pizza dough contains sugar, to help its yeast rise and enhance browning of the crust.[47]
Dipping sauce specifically for pizza was invented by American pizza chain
Papa John's Pizza in 1984 and has since been adopted by some when eating pizza, especially the crust.[48]
Mozzarella cheese is commonly used on pizza, with the
buffalo mozzarella produced in the surroundings of Naples.[49] Other cheeses are also used, particularly Italian cheeses including
provolone, pecorino romano,
ricotta, and scamorza. Less expensive
processed cheeses or
cheese analogues have been developed for
mass-market pizzas to produce desirable qualities like browning, melting, stretchiness, consistent fat and moisture content, and stable
shelf life. This quest to create the ideal and economical pizza cheese has involved many studies and experiments analyzing the impact of
vegetable oil, manufacturing and culture processes,
denatured whey proteins, and other changes in manufacture. In 1997, it was estimated that annual production of pizza cheese was 1 million metric tons (1,100,000 short tons) in the U.S. and 100,000 metric tons (110,000 short tons) in Europe.[50]
A great number of pizza varieties exist, defined by the choice of toppings and sometimes also crust. There are also several styles of pizza, defined by their preparation method. The following lists feature only the
notable ones.
Made with a characteristically thick, braided crust topped with heavy amounts of sauce and cheese. It is traditionally served by the pound, with a side of honey as a condiment.
Made from thick dough covered by tomato paste; a variation on
Sicilian pizza. Also called pizza strips (when cut as in the image), gravy pie, church pie, red bread, party pizza, etc.
A popular variant of pizza in Italy is
Sicilian pizza (locally called sfincione or sfinciuni),[59][60] a thick-crust or deep-dish pizza originating during the 17th century in
Sicily: it is essentially a
focaccia that is typically topped with tomato sauce and other ingredients. Until the 1860s, sfincione was the type of pizza usually consumed in Sicily, especially in the Western portion of the island.[61] Other variations of pizzas are also found in other regions of Italy, for example pizza al padellino or pizza al tegamino, a small-sized, thick-crust, deep-dish pizza typically served in
Turin, Piedmont.[62][63][64]
The first pizzeria in the U.S. was opened in New York City's
Little Italy in 1905.[65] Common toppings for pizza in the United States include
anchovies, ground beef, chicken, ham, mushrooms, olives, onions, peppers,
pepperoni, salami, sausage, spinach, steak, and tomatoes. Distinct regional types developed in the 20th century, including
Buffalo,[66]California,
Chicago,
Detroit,
Greek,
New Haven,
New York, and
St. Louis styles.[67] These regional variations include deep-dish, stuffed, pockets, turnovers,
rolled, and pizza-on-a-stick, each with seemingly limitless combinations of sauce and toppings.
Argentine pizza is a mainstay of the
country's cuisine,[69] especially of its capital
Buenos Aires, where it is regarded as a
cultural heritage and
icon of the city.[70][71][72] Argentina is the country with the most
pizzerias per inhabitant in the world and, although they are consumed throughout the country, the highest concentration of pizzerias and customers is Buenos Aires, the city with the highest consumption of pizzas in the world (estimated in 2015 to be 14 million per year).[73] As such, the city has been considered as one of the world capitals of pizza.[71][73] The dish was introduced to Buenos Aires in the late 19th century with the massive
Italian immigration, as part of a broader
great European immigration wave to the country.[71] Thus, around the same time that the iconic
pizza Margherita was being invented in Italy, pizza were already being cooked in the Argentine capital.[74] The impoverished Italian immigrants that arrived to the city transformed the originally modest dish into a much more hefty meal, motivated by the abundance of food in Argentina.[73][75] In the 1930s, pizza was cemented as a cultural icon in Buenos Aires, with the new pizzerias becoming a central space for sociability for the
working class people who flocked to the city.[75][74]
The most characteristic style of Argentine pizza—which almost all the classic pizzerias in Buenos Aires specialize in—is the so-called pizza de molde (Spanish for 'pizza in the pan'), characterized by having a "thick, spongy base and elevated bready crust".[71] This style, which today is identified as the typical style of Argentine pizza—characterized by a thick crust and a large amount of cheese—arose when impoverished Italian immigrants found a greater abundance of food in then-prosperous Argentina, which motivated them to transform the originally modest dish into a much more hefty meal suitable for a
main course.[73][75] The name pizza de molde emerged because there were no pizza ovens in the city, so bakers resorted to baking them in pans.[76] Since they used bakery plates, Argentine pizzas were initially square or rectangular, a format associated with the 1920s that is still maintained in some classic pizzerias, especially for vegetable pizzas, fugazzetas or fugazzas.[76]
Other styles of Argentine pizza include the iconic fugazza and its derivative fugazzeta or fugazza con queso (a terminology that varies depending on the pizzeria),[71] or the pizza de cancha or canchera (a cheese-less variant).[77] Most pizza menus include standard flavor combinations, including the traditional plain mozzarella, nicknamed "muza" or "musa"; the napolitana or "napo", with "cheese, sliced tomatoes, garlic, dried oregano and a few green olives", not to be confused with
Neapolitan pizza;[71]calabresa, with slices of longaniza;[78]jamon y morrones, with sliced
ham and roasted
bell peppers;[71] as well as versions with
provolone, with
anchovies,[78] with
hearts of palm, or with chopped
hard boiled egg.[71] A typical custom that is unique to Buenos Aires is to accompany pizza with fainá, a pancake made from
chickpea flour.[79]
The world's largest pizza was prepared in Rome in December 2012, and measured 1,261 square meters (13,570 square feet). The pizza was named "Ottavia" in homage to the first Roman emperor
Octavian Augustus, and was made with a
gluten-free base.[80]
The world's longest pizza was 1,930.39 meters (6,333 feet 3+1⁄2 inches) long; it was made in Fontana, California, in 2017.[81] Other previous records include that of Marquinetti (Tomelloso, Spain), where a 1141.5 m pizza was achieved, itself surpassing a previous record in Poland.[82]
The world's most expensive commercially available pizza recognised by Guinness World Records costs
US$2,700, and was sold at Industry Kitchen (USA) in New York City, New York, as of 24 April 2017. It is made of black
squid ink dough, and topped with UK white Stilton cheese, French foie gras and truffles, Ossetra caviar from the Caspian Sea, Almas caviar, and 24K gold leaves.[83]
More expensive pizzas have been reported, but are not recognised by Guinness World Records, such as the £4,200 "Pizza Royale 007" at Haggis restaurant in Glasgow, Scotland, which is topped with caviar, lobster, and 24-carat gold dust, and the US$1,000 caviar pizza made by Nino's Bellissima pizzeria in New York City, New York.[84]
A pizza made by the restaurateur Domenico Crolla that included toppings such as sunblush-tomato sauce, Scottish
smoked salmon, medallions of
venison,
edible gold,
lobster marinated in
cognac, and
champagne-soaked
caviar. The pizza was auctioned for charity in 2007, raising £2,150.[85]
Pizza and health
Some pizzas
mass-produced by
pizza chains have been criticized as having an unhealthy balance of ingredients. Pizza can be high in
salt and fat, and is high in
calories. The
USDA reports an average sodium content of 5,100 mg per 14 in (36 cm) pizza in fast food chains.[86] There are concerns about undesirable health effects.[87][88]
Similar dishes
Calzone and
stromboli are similar dishes that are often made of pizza dough folded (calzone) or rolled (stromboli) around a filling.
Panzerotti are similar to calzones, but fried rather than baked.
Piadina is a thin Italian flatbread, typically prepared in the Romagna historical region.
Focaccia is a flat
leavened oven-baked Italian bread, similar in style and texture to pizza; in some places, it is called pizza bianca (
lit.'white pizza').[89]
Farinata or cecina.[90] A Ligurian (farinata) and Tuscan (cecina) regional dish made from chickpea flour, water, salt, and olive oil. Also called socca in the
Provence region of France. Often baked in a brick oven, and typically weighed and sold by the slice.
Coca is a similar dish consumed mainly in Catalonia and neighbouring regions, but that has extended to other areas in Spain, and to Algeria. There are sweet and savoury versions.
The
Alsatianflammekueche[91] (standard German: Flammkuchen; French: tarte flambée) is a thin disc of dough covered in
crème fraîche, onions, and bacon.
Garlic fingers is an
Atlantic Canadian dish, similar to a pizza in shape and size, and made with similar dough. It is garnished with melted butter, garlic, cheese, and sometimes bacon.
The
Anatolianlahmacun (Arabic: laḥm bi'ajīn; Armenian: lahmajoun; also Turkish pizza or Armenian pizza) is a meat-topped dough round. The base is very thin, and the layer of meat often includes chopped vegetables.[92]
The
Levantinemanakish (Arabic: ma'ujnāt) and sfiha (Arabic: laḥm bi'ajīn; also Arab pizza) are dishes similar to pizza.
Panizza is half a stick of bread (often
baguette), topped with the usual pizza ingredients, baked in an oven.
The
Macedonianpastrmalija is a bread pie made from dough and meat. It is usually oval-shaped with chopped meat on top of it.
The Provençal pissaladière is similar to an Italian pizza, with a slightly thicker crust and a topping of cooked onions,
anchovies, and olives.
Pizza bagel is a bagel with toppings similar to that of traditional pizzas.
Pizza bread is an open-faced sandwich made of bread, tomato sauce, cheese,[93] and various toppings.
Pizza sticks are baked with pizza dough and pizza ingredients.[94] Bread dough may also be used in their preparation,[95] and some versions are fried.[96]
Okonomiyaki, a Japanese dish cooked on a hotplate, is often referred to as "Japanese pizza".[97]
Zanzibar pizza is a street food served in
Stone Town,
Zanzibar, Tanzania. It uses a dough much thinner than pizza dough, almost like
filo dough, filled with minced beef, onions, and an egg, similar to Moroccan basṭīla.[98]
Zwiebelkuchen, a German onion tart, often baked with diced bacon and caraway seeds.
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