Rising Dough: The Epic Tale of Pizza's Origins and How It Claimed the Global Spotlight

Pizza's Birthplace: Napoli's Gift to the World

The city of Naples, Italy, is the undisputed birthplace of modern pizza. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Naples was a bustling, densely populated city. Its working poor, known as "lazzaroni," needed cheap, easy-to-eat food that could be consumed quickly. The solution was pizza.

Early Neapolitan pizzas were simple, with toppings like tomatoes, cheese, oil, garlic, and anchovies. The most iconic of these was the Margherita, topped with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, representing the colors of the Italian flag. This pizza allegedly earned its name from Queen Margherita of Italy during a visit to Naples in 1889.