back <--- The History of the PIZZA.....
The actual origin of pizza-like products is unknown. There have been reports of many meals made by peoples and cultures whose description strongly resembles the modern day pizza. For example, the soldiers of the Persian king, Darius the Great, are said to have baked bread on their shields and then covered it with cheese and dates. The Ancient Greeks flavored a flat bread called "plakous" with toppings that included onions, garlic, and herbs, just to name a few. Some people argue that pizza evolved from the green onion pancake made by the Chinese and was brought back to Italy by Marco Polo. Then again, some people are still convinced that pizza as we know it was originated in the United States of America. The most popular pizza origin story comes to us by way of Naples, Italy with the addition of the tomato topping. Prior to the late 18th century, Europeans thought that the tomato was actually a poisonous fruit. However, around the late 1700's, the poorer communities in Naples began adding tomato to their yeast- based flat bread. The original pizza during that time was topped with the things the poor of Naples could afford. The flat bread was topped with oil, lard, tallow, anchovies, and, of course, cheese, and tomatoes. The taste was a hit and the "pizza" grew in popularity. It wasn't long before word spread and visitors to Naples went into the poorer areas for the sole purpose of sampling this tasty feast served on flat bread. Thanks to the popularization of the pizza, the wealthier segments of society saw that the tomato was not only safe to eat, but also delicious, and tomatoes became a main ingredient of many Italian delicacies!
The original pizza vendor operated from open-air stands on the streets of Naples. The pizza would be baked in wood-fired pizza carts. Possibly the world's first pizzeria was Antica Pizzeria Port Alba' in Naples, Italy. They first made pizza for peddlers from the wood-fired pizza carts, but expanded to a full- fledged pizzeria with tables and chairs in 1830. If you go to Naples, you can still get authentic pizza from that original pizzeria site.
During the late 1800's, Queen Margherita and her husband, Umberto, took an evaluation tour of her Italian Kingdom. While touring around Italy, she saw that many of Italy's citizens, especially peasants, were eating this large flat bread food. Curious about it, she told one of her guards to bring her a pizza bread. Upon tasting it, she immediately developed a love for pizza, and ate it every time she would venture out among the citizens. This caused some controversy among those in the Royal Court circles, as it was not becoming for royalty, especially the queen, to eat the food of mere peasants. The queen, not wanting to give up dining on this wonderful pizza bread, requested that Chef Raphael Esposito travel from his pizzeria to the palace. Queen Margherita then ordered him to bake a variety of pizzas for her to sample and enjoy.
READ More..... PDF
|
