The Evolution Of Pizza
By Kirsten Hawkins, Fri Dec 9th

Trying to trace the history of the first pizza is a surprisinglycontroversial subject. Some claim that this popular food isbased on early unleavened breads served in the early centuriesin Rome. Others trace a connection from modern pizza back to thepita breads of Greece.

It's fairly well established that the first pizza as we know ittoday was created by a man named Raffaele Esposito from Naples,Italy. Esposito's creation was designed to honor the visit ofQueen Margherita to Naples in 1889, and he decorated it with thecolors of the Italian flag, using white cheese, green basil, andred tomatoes (tomatoes, which had arrived from the west about 60years earlier, were originally thought to be poisonous, but byEsposito's time they were already embraced by Italian cuisine).

As the years passed and the turn of the century came about,Italian immigrants brought this recipe with them to America. Thefirst pizzeria was opened in America in 1905. It remainedpopular almost exclusively among immigrants until the end ofWorld War II, when American soldiers returned to their home soiland brought back a love of the pizza they had discoveredoverseas. With that, the pizza boom in America began and thisfood became a mainstream meal instead of an underground Italiansnack.

The concentration of Italian immigrants in New York in thoseolden days explains the fact that many people feel you mustvisit New York to get true pizzeria-style pizza. It's where thepizza got its American start, after all. And nobody who hasexperienced New York style pizza can disagree. New York isfamous for its pizzerias, where a true slice of pizza consistsof a thin, wide crust loaded with plenty of toppings andmarinara and smothered in heady Italian seasonings. A side ofgarlic bread and some heady pastas and tortellinis usually roundout the menu. Pizzerias in New York are not for the faint ofheart.

In the early 1940s, the city of Chicago, IL took pizza in adifferent direction. It is believed that the first pizzeria inChicago was Pizzeria Uno, opened in 1943 by Ike Sewell. Sewell'spizza creation was a new twist on the old New York standard. Hecreated what is known today as deep-dish pizza, where the pizzais sunk low into a deeper pan, and the crust is allowed to risein thick bubbles around the edges. People flocked to Sewell'spizzeria, and a whole new way of looking at this favorite foodwas born.

To this day you can find yourself in some pretty heated debatesif you argue with a New Yorker or a Chicagoan about whatconstitutes authentic pizzeria-style pizza. But whatever cruststyle you choose, pizza is a unique food with a foggy past and adefinite appeal that has lasted through many incarnations.

So you're lucky enough to find yourself in New York or Chicago,or any city for that matter that has a true pizzeria, completewith checked tablecloths and plenty of garlic on the menu,indulge yourself in an old tradition and order a slice. Afterall, its tradition.

About the author:Kirsten Hawkins is a food and nutrition expert specializing theMexican, Chinese, and Italian food. Visithttp://www.food-and-nutrition.com/ for more information oncooking delicious and healthy meals.

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