Have you ever wondered who invented pizza? It’s such a fun and yummy food that many people love. But where did it come from, and how did it become so popular? Let’s dive into the delicious history of pizza!
Pizza is a special kind of food that usually has cheese, tomato sauce, and other toppings on a flat piece of bread. But did you know that people have been making flatbreads with toppings for a long time in many different countries? In Greece, they call it “pita,” and in Iran and Lebanon, they also have their own versions of flatbreads.
If we’re talking about the pizza we know today, with cheese and tomato sauce, we have to look at Italy, especially the city of Naples. In Naples, people have been making pizza for hundreds of years. They put tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and toppings on dough and bake it until it’s crispy and delicious.
There’s a fun story about how pizza became famous. A long time ago, pizza was considered a food for poor people in Italy. But an Italian baker named Raffaele Esposito changed that. When Queen Margherita of Italy visited Naples, Raffaele made a special pizza for her. He used tomatoes for red, mozzarella cheese for white, and basil leaves for green to match the colors of the Italian flag. The queen loved it! This pizza was named “Margherita pizza” in her honor.
After Queen Margherita enjoyed the pizza, it became popular all over Italy. Soon, people in other countries like Argentina, Brazil, and the United States wanted to try it too. Today, you can find pizza in almost every country, and each place has its own special way of making it. In Chicago, USA, they have deep-dish pizza, and in Palmyra, Missouri, people even put sauerkraut on their pizza!
Nowadays, there are many different ingredients that allow everyone to enjoy pizza, even if they can’t eat bread or cheese. So, while we don’t know exactly who invented pizza, we do know that Italy is where the pizza we love today comes from.
That’s the tasty story of pizza! Remember, there are always new things to learn and explore. Stay curious, and who knows what delicious discovery you’ll make next!
Create Your Own Pizza: Gather some simple ingredients like flatbread, tomato sauce, cheese, and any other toppings you like. With the help of an adult, create your own pizza at home. Try to use ingredients that represent the colors of your country’s flag, just like Raffaele Esposito did for Queen Margherita. Share your pizza creation with your family and explain why you chose those toppings.
Pizza Around the World: Research with an adult about different types of pizzas from around the world. Draw a world map and mark the countries you learn about. Next to each country, draw or write about the unique pizza style they have, like deep-dish pizza from Chicago or sauerkraut pizza from Palmyra, Missouri. Discuss with your classmates or family which pizza you would like to try and why.
Pizza History Detective: Imagine you are a detective trying to find out more about the history of pizza. Write down three questions you would like to ask someone from the past who made pizza. For example, “What was your favorite topping?” or “How did you cook your pizza?” Share your questions with a friend or family member and see what they think the answers might be.
**Sanitized Transcript:**
(phone ringing) – Hi, Doug. – Hi, Celeste. – I have a question for you: who invented pizza? – Oh, that is a great question. Pizza, mm. This food gets so many people excited, doesn’t it? I mean, it’s not many other foods where the name of the food, plus the word party, seem to always go together. But what’s the story behind pizza? Has it always been a thing? If not, who came up with it, and why? I mean, when you really stop and think about it, pizza is kind of an odd combination of ingredients, right? You put cheese and tomato sauce on a piece of bread? And that tastes good?
Well, like so many questions about who invented a thing, the answer depends a lot on what you mean. If by pizza, you just mean a flat piece of bread with some kind of toppings on it, what today we call a flatbread, then it’s impossible to give credit to any one person or even any one country for inventing it. Because flatbreads have been served in lots of countries for a really long time. The country of Greece, for example, where they call it pita instead of pizza. People in the country of Iran have also been making flatbreads for a long time. And people in the country of Lebanon, too.
But if by pizza you mean a flatbread with cheese, tomato sauce, and some kind of topping, then we have to look to a different country. Maybe you even know which one. Before I say anything more, now would be a good time to pause the video and take a guess. Where do you think pizza was invented?
Okay, you ready? We have to look to the country of Italy, and one city in Italy especially: the city of Naples. In Naples, Italy, it’s been popular for hundreds of years to put tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and some kind of toppings on a flattened piece of dough, then bake it in an oven until it’s nice and crusty. While we don’t know of any one person in Naples who might’ve invented pizza, there’s a story about a person who might be responsible for making pizza a worldwide sensation.
You see, a long time ago, pizza was not popular with everyone in Italy. People like the rich kings and queens of Italy considered it a poor person’s food, especially since the ingredients were often things being used up so that they wouldn’t go to waste. Got some leftover fish from dinner last night? Great, put it on the pizza. Got some leftover garlic, put it on the pizza.
According to legend, all of this may have changed because of one person, an Italian baker named Raffaele Esposito. The queen of Italy herself, Queen Margherita, was visiting Raffaele’s home city of Naples, and Raffaele was invited to come prepare a meal for her and the king. Any meal he wanted to make. Raffaele was determined to get the king and the queen to like pizza. Instead of using leftovers for toppings, he came up with an idea. For one of the pizzas he prepared for the queen, he would honor her by using the colors of the Italian flag: tomatoes for red, mozzarella cheese for white, and basil leaf for green. The queen loved it. Or, supposedly did anyway. Esposito said afterwards that he received a letter from the queen herself saying that she found his special pizza delicious. He framed it in his restaurant and named this style of pizza Margherita pizza, after the queen.
From that point on, pizza became a sensation. Lots of people all throughout Italy wanted to try it, and they loved it too. Then, it started spreading to other countries: Argentina, Brazil, the United States. Today, you can find pizza in just about every country on earth. And each place makes it their own. In Chicago, USA, near where I grew up, they’re famous for their deep dish pizza, mm. Or my personal favorite, the small town of Palmyra, Missouri, where my wife is from. People put sauerkraut on their pizza. I know, that might sound unusual, but I’m telling you, I tried it and I think it’s great.
There are even ingredients today that make it possible for people who can’t eat bread or who can’t have cheese to still be able to enjoy the taste of pizza. So in summary, pizza hasn’t always been a thing. Someone had to invent it. We don’t know exactly who that was, but the country of Italy gets the credit for the kind of pizza we’re all used to. That’s all for this week’s question. Thanks, Celeste, for asking it.
Now, for the next episode, I reached into my question jar and picked out three questions submitted to me that I’m thinking about answering. When this video’s done playing, you’ll get to vote on one. You can choose from: why do we yawn, how do fireflies glow, or when did people start learning about math, science, and reading? So submit your vote when the video’s over. I want to hear from all of you watching. There are mysteries all around us. Stay curious, and see you next week.
