Is Pizza Actually Italian?

An Italian sham or a carb-ladden delight?

Pizza is loved by many, and with good reason. The harmonious nature of bread, tomato, and cheese is a respectable combo, delicous, and balanced. The acidity from the tomato is perfectly mellowed down by the milky mozzarella, all given structure by the doughy bread. But, where did the beloved pizza come from?

Before leaping into the deep rabbit hole that is pizza’s history, we have to define it, as the definition is vital in the pizza’s journey. The problem is the definition of pizza is wildly contested. Is pizza just a topped flatbread? Or is it specifically tomato, cheese, and bread? But what about a pizza bianca? Or a pizza marinara? Those pizza’s both lack one of the pizza's iconinc elements.

According to the Oxford dictionary, it is defined as “a dish of Italian origin, consisting of a flat round base of dough baked with a topping of tomatoes and cheese, typically with added meat, fish, or vegetables.” This definition limits the pizza to the Italian confines of pizza. But pizza has spread across the world, in styles like New York style pizza, Chicago style pizza, St. Louis style pizza, Detroit style pizza, Swedish pizza, Greek pizza, and many, many more. Pizza is not only an Italian food; it has spread globally, and in the modern day, it’s definitely not limited to one culture.

But, what about it’s invention?

The common tale of pizza’s invention is that after the unification of Italy, Queen Margherita visited Naples in 1889 and took interest in the flatbread called pizza. Thus, they charged Raffaelle Esposito with creating a pizza for the royal family. He chose to incorporate the red, white, and green colors from the Italian flag into the pizza through tomato, mozzarella, and basil. This is unfortunately a myth.

The reality is, pizza (or flatbreads called pizza) were being sold way before Italy had even come to be. Back in the 16th century, pizzas were usually made with garlic, herbs, olive oil, and cheese. No tomatoes. So for all those people who refuse to accept pizza bianca as real pizza, pizza bianca was the original pizza. But if we go further back, Romans would make plain flatbreads called "Pinsa,” which means flatbread in Latin; later, “Pinsa” evolved into pizza. But Romans weren’t the only ones making flatbread. Ancient Greeks and ancient Egyptians, along with literally every other ancient culture.

What am I saying here? I’m saying that pizza is a flatbread, and it’s root is simply bread with a form of topping. So yes, pizza is international. Both in it’s invention and its development.

What’s your favorite pizza?