Did Pizza Always Have Cheese?

Pizza began as an Italian flat bread topped with various ingredients. As Italian emigrants brought it with them to new countries and added ingredients according to their tastes and identities, so pizza quickly spread.

One of the earliest additions was tomato, brought from America around 1600 or 1700 and later made available throughout Europe. Cheese followed shortly thereafter.

The Origins of Pizza

Pizza dates back to ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans (who enjoyed plakous), though we most commonly associate it with Italy in the 1700s. At that time Naples was an increasingly bustling waterfront city where large crowds lived in cramped conditions near the waterside – many outdoor workers needed food that could be quickly prepared and eaten quickly – thus inspiring its creation as we know it today: simple dough topped with cheeses, oil, garlic and herbs.

Once tomatoes made their debut in Europe from the New World in 1522, many Europeans were initially cautious of them and considered them poisonous. Yet poor working people in Naples who often only had flour, cheese, lard and herbs available were delighted to incorporate these supposedly toxic foods into their yeast dough as an enhancer and give pizza its first truly authentic taste.

By the early 1900s, pizza had spread across Europe and was enjoying a brief boom in America. But it wasn’t until after WWII that American pizza really took off and became a global food trend – largely thanks to its newfound popularity which helped shape its development into what it is today.

One major development occurred during the 1950s, with refrigerators and freezers becoming widely available to the general public. This allowed pizza to be frozen and later reheated, prompting different recipes that kept its flexibility while withstanding freezing and reheating cycles. Other major developments included decreasing oil usage while adding ingredients such as mozzarella for shredding purposes.

Since this time, pizza has come to be known as both a pie and pizze in English – both are incorrect translations derived from its Italian name, pizze. A notable event occurred when Margherita Pizza was created in 1889 as an honor to Queen Margherita of Savoy; featuring fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil and red pepper to represent the colors of Italy’s flag; this royal approval catapulted pizza from being simply street food to a delicious home-cooked Italian meal.

The Early Recipes

Ancient recipes combine leavened flat bread with cheeses and other ingredients; some even date back as far as 6th Century BC! However, pizza as we know it today first emerged in 18th-Century Naples when its economy couldn’t keep pace with feeding everyone who needed food; poverty-stricken residents known as lazzaroni needed something quick, cheap and easy for lunch – and pizza became their go-to food choice.

Lazzaroni made simple pizza: a flat bread covered in cheese that they baked in an oven, much like we enjoy today. While not quite comparable with what is available today, it served its purpose at that time.

After tomatoes entered the scene in the 1600s or 1700s, pizza became much like we know it today and earned itself its current moniker: Pizza Margherita.

At the end of the 19th century, pizza had become a common working-class food in America due to Italian immigrants bringing it over from Italy. Numerous restaurants already offered pizza at this point; however none provided exactly the same flavor of pie as was being offered by Italian pizzerias that had opened up around that time.

No matter the style or variety, true pizza is always a circular flat dish filled with toppings atop leavened dough that has been baked in an oven. A great pizza has a crunchy crust with airy layers while its toppings meld onto its surface seamlessly.

Pizza offers endless possibilities in terms of toppings. You can add meats, vegetables and fruits – from mushrooms and olives to pepperoni, sausage, salami and spinach! Some popular examples are listed here.

In 1830, Naples saw its inaugural pizzeria open for business – it has long been recognized as the birthplace of pizza as we know it today. Utilizing lava rocks from Mount Vesuvius as its oven liner, people could finally sit and enjoy their slice rather than picking one up to take out.

The Early Neapolitans

Cheese is an integral component of pizza, both as an ingredient and as a topping. A staple ingredient found in many popular dishes around the world, cheese has long been used both sweet and savory dishes alike – in fact, pizza cannot exist without cheese!

But pizza wasn’t always what we know today. Its popularity spread beyond Naples after World War II and became widespread globally.

Before that, basic flatbread was composed of wheat flour-leavened bread dough flavored with garlic, lard or olive oil and coarse salt. Out of necessity for those in Naples who needed inexpensive food quickly to be eaten quickly, tomatoes were added as an affordable addition resulting in simple pizzas which became beloved street foods that eventually led to what we know today as pizza.

Early 1900s Italy saw an “economic miracle”, brought on by industrialization that revolutionized life. Southern Italy wasn’t experiencing the same advantages and this caused many Neapolitans to migrate north in search of work; with them came pizza.

Pizza quickly took hold in New York, where many migrants settled. Though not an immediate hit – even with Queen Maria of Italy visiting – New Yorkers eventually came around to accepting it as part of the culture.

Not long after they tasted pizza for the first time, the city quickly recognized its unique characteristics and created their own style of it in Naples – which we now recognize as true pizza and which later spread throughout other regions of America.

As pizza gained in popularity, its meaning shifted away from ethnic treat to fast, fun food enjoyed by all. Regional variations arose: California gourmet to Totonno’s (Coney Island Brooklyn; opened 1924); Mario’s (Arthur Avenue Bronx; opened 1919); and Pepe’s (New Haven). By 1970s with air travel becoming more accessible people who had never tasted true Neapolitan pizza were seeking it out and seeking authentic Neapolitan pizza out.

The Early Americans

Today’s pizza was created in Naples in the late 18th or early 19th centuries by poor families known as lazzaroni, who relied on cheap yet easy foods like flat bread topped with cheeses and other ingredients for sustenance.

Flatbreads were once an integral part of many civilizations, including those in Ancient Greece and Rome. Records exist from as early as 6th Century BC showing Greeks baking flatbreads topped with cheese and dates; later known as pizza. Modern day versions usually use mozzarella as their main cheese option, although variations with parmesan, provolone, ricotta cheese are also common options.

After World War II had ended, pizza quickly made an impressionful comeback among Americans. Soldiers stationed in Italy became fond of its cuisine, taking ideas and recipes back home with them that helped fuel its rise to popularity – leading to pizzerias opening across America.

At first, these restaurants were owned by Italian immigrants who brought their traditional recipes over from Italy. Later however, pizza became more mainstream due to gas-fired ovens which could bake it quickly and efficiently.

Ovens provided restaurants with a way to produce large numbers of pizzas quickly at reasonable prices, making the dish more accessible than ever and quickly earning itself the reputation of being both tasty and filling.

Pizza’s story is one that deserves closer examination, as its history dates back far longer than many may think. At first, pizza was relatively straightforward in its preparation; over time though, it has evolved and taken on new variations which allow people from diverse cultures to appreciate its delectable delights.