Italian pizza

Pizza in Italy

Italians did not invent the idea of putting toppings on flatbread. They just perfected it.

It began as a way for wives to give a mid-morning meal to their husbands and sons headed out to work in the fields. Early in the morning, mamma would spread a thin sheet of dough on the focus, or hearthstone, to cook while the fireplace heated up enough to bake true bread. She would then wrap the resulting focaccia flatbread up with whatever topping was handy and hand it off to the men.

The pizza holy trinity of tomato sauce, chese, and basil wasn't hit upon until a Neopolitan pizza maker in the late 19th century decided to honor a visit by the new queen of Italy with a pizza in patriotic red, white, and green. her name was Marghertia, so the pizza was called that, too. Thus, a legend—and an indutry—was born.