Salute the ‘Za: the Practically Perfect Pie

Invented in Greece, perfected in Italy, and an American obsession since the late 1800s, the life of this pie has been a particularly charmed one. Whether street eat, quick serve or bistro-elegant, pizza’s continuing evolution assures its popularity for at least another century or two. A thick slice of history. Ancient Greeks started the dough rolling with their round flatbreads topped with spices, seasonings and oils—actually closer to focaccia bread than pizza, but that was before tomatoes came into the picture. That didn’t happen until the end of the 18th century, when residents of Naples began to top the flatbread with what they now realized were non-poisonous tomatoes. Street vendors sold the dish in the poor areas of Naples before the opening of the world's first pizzeria, Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba, in 1830. Pizza passionistas and history buffs, take note: it is still open today, selling pizza from the same spot. The humble pie took a royal turn around 1889, when chef Rafaelle Esposito was invited to the palace of Italy's Queen Margherita and King Umberto I, to create a variety of pizzas for her. Her favorite, patriotically decorated with red tomatoes, white mozzarella and green basil, became known as the Margherita. Pizza arrived in America with the waves of Italian immigrants, becoming a street fave in Italian neighborhoods. Bragging rights to the first Italian pizza in America go to Chicago vendors, who walked up and down Taylor Street selling hot slices of pizza, keeping them warm inside cylindrical drums containing hot charcoal. First pizzeria in the US is widely known as Lombardi’s, opened in Manhattan’s Little Italy in 1905. According to Time, Lombardi’s proved to be enormously influential in the pizza world, serving as the training grounds for cooks who went on to open celebrated pizzerias such as John’s and Totonno’s. Unique twists kept pizza a hot commodity: in New Haven, Conn., Frank Pepe sold thin-crust “apizza,” with anchovies or without, and Chicago’s famous deep dish pizza was born in 1943, at the restaurant that fittingly came to be known as Pizzeria Uno. The Domino Effect. Pizza arriving hot and steaming on your doorstep went into overdrive in 1965 with the Domino’s franchise. The ’30 minute or less’ guarantee eventually was dropped due to lawsuits accusing Domino’s of encouraging unsafe driving, but they’ve put many a delivery innovation in place over the years, including corrugated boxes and the insulated, water-repellent bag to keep pizza warm (hot charcoal not accepted). Today, there’s the ‘Chipotle effect’ happening in the fast casual pizza space, with the launch of places like 800 Degrees, PizzaRev, and Blaze Pizza, all featuring an assembly line where customers choose from dozens of toppings, and 800-degree ovens that cook their selections in two minutes. The Pie Keeps Growing. A recent Zagat survey showed Americans united in their love of pizza—a full 83% consider it one of their favorite foods, and chow down on it at least once a week. Top topping: pepperoni, according to the National Association of Pizza Operators, almost 250 million pounds of it each year. Other favorites include extra cheese, sausage, mushrooms, green peppers and onions. Regional tastes have spawned many a different slice on each plate: •Neapolitan, with a thin, bubbly crust, usually cooked in a brick or wood-fired oven (more on this to come). •New York, also thin-crusted, with a sweet tomato sauce topped with a layer of cheese; purists prefer no other toppings. •Chicago goes thick crust, baked in a pan, rather than directly on the bricks or on a sheet, with cheese, followed by toppings and sauce; eat with a fork and knife. •Greek pizza is also baked in a pan, with a trademark oily crust, often topped with traditional Greek toppings like spinach, feta cheese and olives. •California is the land of superthin crusts and seasonal veggie toppings. •Sicilian, American-style, involves a thick square or rectangular crust, with toppings placed on top of the dough; in Sicily, the toppings, such as pecorino cheese and anchovies, are placed inside the crust. The global pizza palate is even more diverse: in India, pickled ginger, tofu and minced mutton top the pie; in Russia, a blend of tuna, mackerel, sardines, onions and salmon; in Japan, squid, and "mayo jaga" (mayonnaise, bacon and potato); in Brazil, green peas; and in Costa Rica, coconut. Next week, we’ll take a trip to Italy, where the legendary brick ovens first started to heat up – including the inspiration for our new and very own Wood Fired Roseli pizza, and pizza has reached a status so legendary, it has its own watchdog agency.