The history of the emergence of pizza is rooted in the depths of millennia and is almost as ancient as the entire history of mankind. As soon as ancient man learned to bake filled tortillas, this can already be considered the beginning of the history of pizza. Indeed, almost all the peoples inhabiting the Mediterranean region have used the baking method since ancient times. bread cakes on the rocks above the coal. The cake was flavored olive oil and vegetables for the season. In addition, in those ancient times, such a cake was convenient because it also served as a plate at the same time.

Historians still have not come to a consensus about which of the ancient peoples can claim to be the inventor of this famous and popular dish throughout the world.

The prototype of pizza can be called flat cakes, which were baked in Ancient Egypt about six thousand years ago, when yeast appeared there and sour dough.

There are references to the fact that as early as the 5th century BC, Persian warriors in long military campaigns cooked a variety of flour cakes with the addition of cheese and dates on combat flat shields. The legendary Etruscans, judging by the historical sources that have come down to us, also baked a similar dish.

But it was in ancient Greece that the method of making flatbread was first used, which was later in demand in the preparation of the pizza already familiar to us. The ancient Greeks laid out cheese, onions, various herbs and vegetables on raw dough, poured with olive oil and only then baked. In the language of the inhabitants of Hellas, such a flat round bread with all kinds of ingredients was called "plakuntos". Even in the writings of Plato, a similar cake with cheese is mentioned when describing a festive feast.

The ancient Romans called this dish, which they borrowed from the Greeks, "placenta". The Romans somewhat complicated and diversified the recipe for "flat bread". In addition to cheese, olives and onions, any vegetables were placed on Roman cakes, bay leaves and even honey. The famous Roman writer Cato the Elder, who lived in the II century BC, in his treatise "On Agriculture" described a cake made of dough with herbs and honey, oiled with olive oil and baked on stones.

True, there is another interpretation of the appearance of the prototype of pizza in the territory of Ancient Rome. There is a legend that the recipe for unleavened bread with vegetables, called "picea", was brought from Palestine by Roman legionnaires.

Confirmation of the Mediterranean theory of the origin of pizza can be found in one of the first collections culinary recipes De Re Coquinaria, which was compiled during early Christianity by Mark Gavius \u200b\u200bApicius. One of the recipes in translation sounds something like this: “put olive oil, pieces of chicken, cheese, nuts, garlic, mint, pepper on the dough and bake. Then chill in the snow and serve. " By the way, the remains of such a culinary masterpiece were discovered in the city of Pompeii covered with ash (near modern Naples).

Opponents of the "southern" origin of pizza in our time are Scandinavian ethnographers. Thus, the Norwegian scientist A. Rydbergolts, who studies the culture of the Vikings, on the basis of archaeological finds, concludes that the frying pans of northern sailors were used to make cakes with vegetables, meat or fish, from which modern pizza originated.

But, regardless of where such cakes were born, for a long time this unassuming dish was considered the food of the poor. So, in Italy, village pizza is called "focazzia". The real story of the development of pizza as a dish for both nobility and commoners began with the appearance of tomatoes in Europe. Exotic tomatoes were brought to Europe from the New World by the conquistadors in 1522. At first, tomatoes were considered a poisonous "devil berry", however, after a while, the peasants tasted that they were not only edible, but also very tasty. The Neapolitan poor began to use tomatoes as filling for traditional bread cakes.

In the 17th century, round cakes made of flour and olive oil, topped with tomatoes, bacon and herbs, became a very popular dish among Neapolitan peasants and sailors. They were prepared by special craftsmen, who were called (and still are called) "pizzaioli". Usually, bakers in the early morning began to cook pizza, which was then bought up by sailors returning from the night fishing. The classic pizza of the time was made with fresh tomatoes, anchovies, olive oil and garlic.

In the 18th century, the first pizzerias appeared, very similar to modern ones - a fireplace, a marble pizza bench, a shelf with spices, tables for visitors and a showcase with pizza for sale that you can take away. By this time, pizza had ceased to be exclusively "rustic" food, it was even started to be served at the royal table. By order of the wife of the King of Naples, Queen Maria Carolina d'Asburgo Lorena (1752-1814), a special pizza oven was even built in her summer residence, which was treated to the royal guests.

But this was not yet the final victory of pizza and its conquest of high society. The small Neapolitan kingdom was not a trendsetter in culinary fashion throughout Italy, fragmented into many dwarf states. The triumphal procession of real pizza began only after the unification of Italy in 1870.

Many sources tell us how the most famous and most popular pizza - "Margarita" was born. In 1889, the King of Italy Umberto I and his wife Margarita of Savoy, while vacationing in Naples, wanted to try the signature Neapolitan dish - pizza. Rafaelle Esposito, the most famous pizza maker of that time, was invited to prepare pizza. Trying his best to please the royals, the baker cooked three different pizzas... One pizza was with tomatoes, garlic and olive oil, the other was with cheese, bacon and basil, and for the filling of the third pizza, the master chose products of the same colors in which the Italian flag was painted - scarlet tomatoes, white mozzarella cheese and green basil. Margarita was so delighted with the "patriotic" pizza that she left a letter of thanks for the pizza maker. The flattered Esposito gave his culinary masterpiece the name of the Queen. Margarita wished that the dish she liked so much was prepared exclusively in her palace, after which the pizza "Margarita" earned the fame of herself gourmet food in Italy. Together with "Margarita" the pizzas "Marinara" and "Four seasons" were recognized.

At the end of the 19th century, pizza became the most favorite dish in all of Italy; pizza with anchovies and mushrooms was considered especially tasty. The expansion of pizza around the world began with the United States, where it penetrated with the wave of Italian emigration at the turn of the century. In the "city of pizza" Chicago, it was sold on the streets for two cents a slice. In New York in 1905, the "patriarch of pizza" Gennaro Lombardy opened the first pizzeria in America, which still operates today. In the forties, the United States has its own "American pizza", the high edges of which allow you to add much more filling.

After World War II, American soldiers returning from the Italian theater of military operations brought home and love for italian cuisine... Pizza in the United States went beyond the Italian emigration and became popular among all Americans. This was also facilitated by show business figures with Italian roots, the most famous of whom was Frank Sinatra. And Dean Martin sang his song, which for Americans has become an ode to pizza - "When the moon shines right in your eyes, like a big pizza."

So, having passed the centuries-old path from an uncomplicated flat cake with a filling to a star of the first magnitude in the culinary horizon, pizza conquered the whole world. Paying tribute to the role of the United States in the popularization of pizza, it should be recognized that after all, Italy remains its homeland and the place where the most delicious pizza in the world is prepared. Moreover, the scale of baking pizza per year in the Apennines is so great that every third person in the world, including babies, could get pizza from Italy. True, of the two and a half billion pizzas, only one and a half billion are exported outside Italy, large quantity consumed domestically. Italians are so sensitive to pizza that there are often lawsuits against dishonest or non-compliant producers, who are charged with infringement of the "national treasure."

In 1957, they began to produce pizza in the form of semi-finished products, which could be very quickly and easily prepared at home. The popularity of such a delicious and quick breakfast, lunch and dinner has grown to planetary proportions. According to polls, about 80% of Internet users named pizza as their favorite dish. There are more than two hundred types of pizza, but the imagination of culinary specialists has no boundaries, and more and more new recipes are born, sometimes in conditions national traditionsvery exotic. So, in Japan, pizza "okonomiyaki" is popular, the main recipe of which is that everything "that you like" serves as additives - any seafood and vegetables, but, most importantly, all this should be sprinkled on top with dry tuna shavings, which stir from steam of hot pizza.

The variety of pizza recipes forced the Italian government to define the criteria for "real pizza" and introduce the pizza quality label - D.O.C. In the list of criteria, in the first place is the method of preparing the dough - only by hand, tossing and rotating, without the help of a rolling pin. Real pizza is baked only on wood at an oven temperature of 200-215 degrees.

Elena Unchikova

How pizza appeared

If someone ever had a question “how did pizza come about”, then, most likely, like most people, this someone decided that this is purely italian dish and it was invented in Italy. However, it is not. Pizza, like many dishes, was not first invented in the country whose national cuisine it now belongs to, that is, Italy.

The prerequisites for the appearance of pizza can be seen in the Ancient Greeks, who first began to bake large, round and flat bread, which they generously greased with oil, seasoned with spices, herbs and all kinds of dishes. In those distant times, tomatoes were not yet discovered, or more possibly, they were simply not used in cooking.

In the 18th century, the idea of \u200b\u200bflat bread came to Italy. On the streets and markets of the city, flatbreads called "Pizzas" began to be sold. These cakes were flat bread, without any spices or fillings. Since they were very cheap, tasty and satisfying, they were mostly popular with the poor people of Naples. The appearance of tomatoes among the Neapolitans and the visit of the queen to the streets of the city contributed to the appearance of the very pizza that everyone knows and loves today!

In 1889, Queen Margherita, accompanied by her husband King Umberto I, toured her Kingdom of Italy. During her travels in Italy, she saw many people, especially peasants, who ate these large and flat cakes with pleasure. The Queen ordered to bring her one of these cakes. It is said that Queen Margaret was a great lover of bread. However, she ate it alone, as it was indecent for the queen to consume "peasant food". Therefore, in front of the people, she did not dare to try the cake.

Nevertheless, the queen was very fond of bread, and her desire to taste the flatbread surpassed her so much that she decided to invite the chef Raphael Esposito to the palace. Queen Margaret ordered him to bake. The chef tried so hard to please the queen that he prepared a special pizza for her. Tomatoes, Mozzarella cheese and fresh basil were used in this pizza, which completely echoed the colors of the Italian flag: white, red and green.

According to legend, this special pizza exceeded all expectations of the queen and became her favorite. She even allowed her to be called by her name - Pizza Margarita, thereby laying the foundation for a whole culinary tradition that has spread and became popular all over the world to this day. There is a legend that in this way Queen Margaret tried to get closer to the people.

History does not know whether the chef Raphael began to sell his creation to the masses, but it is known that pizza in the form that is now known, spread among the Italian people. IN different parts Italy began to appear different options pizza. In Bologna, for example, they began to add meat to pizza. The Neapolitan pizza with garlic, crumbly Neapolitan cheese, herbs, fresh vegetables and spices is especially popular. By this time, the idea of \u200b\u200bbaking pizza in special brick ovens appeared. And the pizza dough, like today, consisted of flour, vegetable oil, salt and yeast.

Pizza began to spread throughout America, France, England and Spain, but it became really popular in these countries only after the Second World War. Occupying Italian territory, many American and European soldiers tried pizza for the first time. It was love from the first spoon!

Today you can find many variations of pizza, both in shape and filling. For example, in addition to round pizza, there is also square pizza – Sicilian pizza with anchovies... Exists pizza "envelope" - calzone... One of traditional ingredients for a calzone, it is a traditional Italian dairy product, ricotto.

Little interesting facts about pizza

- Today exists International Pizza Day, which is celebrated on February 9th.
On this day, all pizzerias try to surprise their guests with something special. And this is a real holiday, because Plus, you don't have to go for your favorite pie on your own, when free pizza delivery is available everywhere. Very comfortably!

- The Guinness Book of Records has repeatedly recorded several of the largest pizzas in the world:

The biggest round pizza baked on December 8, 1990 in a hypermarket in Norwood ( South Africa). Its diameter was 37.4 meters, and its preparation took: 4500 kg of flour, 90 kg of salt, 900 kg tomato puree and 1800 kg of cheese! African pizza was only 3.5 meters in diameter and was larger than its predecessor - baked pizza by Pizza Hut in Singapore in 1990.

Longest pizza was taken in Israel on November 3, 2003. Its length was 100 meters. Pizza was cooked by 25 chefs during the day, and ate it in seconds in the central park of Tel Aviv.

- American and Canadian citizens consume an average of 23 pounds of pizza per person per year. Their favorite pizza is pepperoni (a spicy variety of salami) and cheese, second only to hamburgers in popularity.

As you can see from all of the above, the pizza passed long way from antiquity to the present day. And it became popular thanks to Queen Margarita. So the next time, biting off a juicy slice of pizza, we remember Queen Margarita, who did not dare to try pizza in public.

A little more history

Pizza prototypes existed even among the ancient Greeks and Romans, as serving some food on slices of bread. In connection with the import of tomatoes to Europe in 1522, the prototype of Italian pizza appeared in Naples. In the 17th century, special people ("pizzaiolo", pizzaiolo) appeared who prepared pizza for Italian peasants.

The wife of the King of Naples Ferdinand IV, Maria-Carolina of Habsburg-Lorraine (1752-1814), fell in love with pizza, and later the Italian king Umberto I and his wife Margaret of Savoy, after whom one of the recipes was named. Pizza came to the USA at the end of the second half of the 19th century and first appeared, apparently, in Chicago. In 1957, semi-finished pizzas appeared.

Cooking pizza

Classic pizza dough made from special flour (mixture of flour and durum flour), yeast, olive oil, salt and water. The dough is kneaded by hand and, after proofing, rolled out in a thin layer (usually up to half a centimeter thick). The dough is covered with tomato sauce. After that, it is possible to add almost any fillings. The classic pizza is baked in a special wood-burning oven called Pompeian and has the shape of a hemispherical vault. Pizza is also cooked in pizza decks and conveyor ovens. In wood-burning stoves, a fire is kindled from one side, rising upward, the heat from it enters the focus of the sphere and is reflected in the center of the stove in the middle of the hearth, heating it. Therefore, it takes about 90 seconds to cook in such an oven, and at home - in an oven preheated to 250-275 ° C for about 8-10 minutes.

Eating pizza

Traditional classic pizza before use, cut with a special knife into 4, 6, 8, etc. pieces and eat with your hands.

Famous pizza varieties

Pizza aglio e olio - with hot olive oil, lightly fried garlic and oregano in it.
Pizza aglio, olio e pomodoro - olive oil, garlic, oregano and tomatoes.
Pizza alla marinara (Marinara) - with tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and oregano (additionally anchovies, capers and black olives).
Pizza con le cozze - with mussels, garlic, olive oil and parsley.
Pizza alle vongole - with veneers (bivalve molluscs), tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, parsley and oregano.
Pizza Margherita (Margarita) - with tomatoes, mozzarella (sometimes sprinkled with parmesan), olive oil and basil. Margarita variety Margherita bianca without tomatoes.
Pizza Napolitana / Napoli ("Neapolitan") - with tomatoes, mozzarella, parmesan, anchovies, olive oil, oregano and basil ( real pizza Napolitana should be cooked exclusively with wood).
Pizza Regina - with tomatoes, mozzarella, mushrooms, ham, oregano (sometimes also with black olives).
Pizza capricciosa (Capricciosa) - with tomatoes, mozzarella, mushrooms, artichokes, green and black olives.
Pizza ai quattro formaggi (Four cheeses) - with four different varieties cheese.
Pizza quattro stagioni (Four seasons) - common ingredient are tomatoes. The pizza is divided into four sections, each of which represents one of the seasons: Spring: olives and artichokes;
Summer: salami and black pepper; Autumn: tomatoes and mozzarella (like margarita); Winter: mushrooms and boiled eggs.
Pizza ai funghi e salsicce (or boscaiola) (Fungi) - with mozzarella, mushrooms, sausages, with or without tomatoes.
Pizza Diabola (Diabola) - spicy pizza with pepperoni and other ingredients.
Pizza al tonno - with tuna.
Pizza ai frutti di mare - with seafood.
Pizza Hawaii (Hawaiian) - with ham and pineapple, presumably of American origin.
Sicilian pizza (Sicilian pizza) - square, with anchovies.

The filling varies depending on the recipe. The Neapolitan pizza is very thin and baked at high temperatures (about 500 ° C) in two minutes. It can be eaten without using cutlery, having previously folded it a libro ("like a book").

One of the varieties of pizza is calzone ("envelope with filling"), which is folded in half and baked like that. Traditional filling are ricotta, ham, mushrooms, mozzarella, parmesan and oregano. Originally calzones were not baked in fat in the oven / oven, but on the stovetop in a frying pan.

Distribution of pizza in the world

Pizza spread mainly in the USA and Europe, where developed pizza chains appeared, most of which offer free shipping pizza at the customer's address.

Japanese version of pizza (okonomiyaki)represents fried flatbread with seafood and vegetables, well greased with a special sauce and sprinkled on top dried shavings tuna. When served, this pizza is divided with a flat kote spatula.

Pizza in the USA

Due to the widespread influence of Italian and Greek immigrants on American culture, it has become very widespread in the United States. There is enough a large number of regional types of pizza with only a distant resemblance to the Italian original. The thickness of the crust depends on consumer preferences; thick and thin dough pizzas are equally popular. Often times, new pizzas are created using American products such as barbecue chicken or bacon.

Ingredients

American pizza often contains vegetable oil in its dough, not always olive oil, which cannot be found in traditional italian recipes... The amount and composition of topping, as well as the size of the pizza itself, can vary over a very wide range. In addition, American pizza (at least thin-crust) uses flour with a high gluten content (often 13-14%). This dough can be stretched without tearing.

Various fillings can be added, usually:
Tomato sauce is a common substitute tomato pasteused in Italian pizzas, a fairly heavily spiced, smooth sauce with a low water content. For example, barbecue sauce is sometimes used.
Cheese, usually mozzarella, as well as provolone, cheddar, parmesan, feta, and other cheeses.
Fruits and vegetables: garlic, artichoke hearts, eggplant, olives, capers, onions, spinach, tomatoes, red peppers, green pepper chili, pineapple and others.
Mushrooms, usually champignons, rarely truffles.
Meat products: salami sausages, pepperoni, Italian, ham, bacon, beef, and chicken meat.
Seafood: anchovies, tuna, salmon, shrimp, octopus, squid, mussels.
Herbs and spices: basil, oregano, black pepper, chili.
Nuts: cashews, pistachios, and pine nuts.
Olive oil, walnut or truffle.

In some recipes, tomato sauce is either absent ( white pizza), or replaced with another sauce (most often garlic oil, as well as sauces with spinach and onions). In Philadelphia there are tomato pizzascontaining only sauce, or sauce with ripe Roman tomatoes and spices without cheese, as well as "upside down" pizza with cheese on the bottom and covered with sauce on top. The pizza is consumed hot (usually for lunch or dinner), the cooled remaining pieces are used for breakfast.

Types of American pizza

New York-style pizza - a type of pizza, born in New York, brought by immigrants from Naples - the birthplace of pizza. Often of impressive size, slices are thin and flexible. The dough is hand-kneaded using a moderate amount of sauce and cheese. New York pizza can be considered an enlarged version of the Neapolitan pizza. Pizza slices are always eaten folded in half, or even stacked on top of each other, due to the size and flexibility of the crust. This type of pizza dominates the northeastern states. If a resident of the United States says "pizza" - then most likely he means exactly the New York version of its execution. Many pizzerias in New York offer two main varieties of pizza: "Neapolitan" or "regular" with a thinner crust. round shape, and "Sicilian" or "rectangular" with a thicker dough, cut into rectangular pieces. Another type of pizza that is more popular on Long Island (less often in the Queens and Manhattan areas) is grandma's pizza... This one has a rectangular shape and a thin, crispy crust. Has less cheese than usual. Sometimes spices and butter are mixed into the dough.

Pizza New Heaven (New Heaven-style pizza), also known as apizza, is popular with South Connecticut residents. Pizza It has thin cake, which can be either soft or quite tough, depending on the specific manufacturer. The default is “white” pizza seasoned with only garlic and hard cheese; customers who want to add tomato sauce or mozzarella should ask for this separately. Pizza has a very dark, "burnt" crunchy crust, which is characterized by a bitter taste, compensated by the sweetness of tomatoes or other filling.

Greek pizza (Greece-style pizza) - a variant popular in New England; spread in pizzerias owned by Greek immigrants. The pizza has a thicker crust and is baked in a skillet in the oven, not directly on the stone. Regular olive oil is part of the topping and is also used to grease the pan and make the crust crisp. Pizza recipesused in other parts of the country include feta cheese, Kalamate olives, and Greek spices such as oregano.

Chicago pizza (Chicago-style pizza or Chicago-style deep-dish pizza) has a thick crust formed in a deep baking dish. The order of the ingredients has been changed: cake, cheese, topping, sauce on top. Some varieties (called stuffed) have two cakes and a sauce on top. This type of pizza was invented by Ike Sewell and Ric Riccardo and was first introduced in 1943 at the Pizzeria Uno pizzeria, which is still operating today. It is worth adding that the Pizzeria Uno has a twin - the Pizzeria Due. This pizza has become famous in Europe largely thanks to the Pizza Hut pizza chain.

Chicago-style thin-crust pizza has a thinner dough than a Chicago-style deep dish and is baked flat rather than shaped. The crust, although thin, has sufficient strength in contrast to New York pizza. The crust is smeared with a southern Italian tomato sauce that contains herbs and wine, and usually contains no visible tomato slices. Then a layer of filling and a layer of mozzarella cheese is added, which is often detached from the crust due to the tomato sauce. The pizza is cut into three to four squares (8-10 cm), and not into wedges, as is usually done. Due to the small size of the pieces, there is no need to fold the pizza. Chicago on a thin crust is common throughout the midwestern United States. The most famous pizza chains are Aurelio's Pizza, Home Run Inn and Rosati's Pizza.

St. Louis-style pizza is a thin crust version of Chicago pizza popular in St. Louis, Missouri, as well as Southern Illinois. The most striking difference is the use of spent (Provel) cheese instead of mozzarella. Less commonly, a mixture of these cheeses is used. Filling usually consists of fresh ingredientscut into cubes. Common to this type of pizza is the presence on top large pieces onions, sliced \u200b\u200binto rings of paprika and a whole strip of bacon. In the case of ordering pizza with sausage or other meat products, the meat is choking with your hands. Thin dough after cooking, it becomes crispy and is sometimes compared to a cracker. Despite the round crust, the pizza is cut into square pieces.

California-style pizza prepared with unconventional ingredients. Fresh products are preferred. A popular option is Thai chicken pizza made with peanut sauce, bean sprouts, carrots and barbecue sauce on top. This recipe was invented at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, and has been popularized by California Pizza Kitchen, Wolfgang Puck's and others.

Hawaiian pizza cooked with Canadian bacon (or chopped ham), pineapple and mozzarella cheese. This type of pizza is especially popular in the western United States, as well as in Australia, Canada and Sweden, but not in Hawaii. Also hawaiian pizza popular in Europe.

Canadian-style pizza... Pizza with marinara sauce, a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, pepperoni, bacon (usually not Canadian), mushrooms, sliced \u200b\u200bwhite onions is very popular in Ontario. The mixture of oregano, parsley and garlic is reminiscent of the Montreal method of making spices. The crust is thick, often decorated with garlic.

Taco pizza... Uses ingredients typical of tacos for the filling, such as lettuce, chopped beef, ham, chopped tomatoes, avocado, corn chips, cheddar cheese, sour cream and taco sauce.

Grilled pizza, invented in Providence, Rhode Island, has a fairly thin grill crust that flips the pizza after cooking so the filling is on the baked side.

English muffin, French bread pizza and pizza bagels are common pizza counterparts that can be made at home using an oven or toaster. Requires the addition of sauce, grated cheese and pepperoni. French bread also available as a semi-finished product.

A national dish in the form of a round open flatbread covered in a classic version with tomato sauce and melted cheese. Cheese (usually mozzarella) is the main ingredient in pizza toppings. One of the most popular dishes in the world as in home kitchenand in restaurants, cafes and fast food.

Story

The pizza seller (pizzaiolo) in the painting from 1830

The prototype of pizza was some of the foods served on slices of bread in the homes of the ancient Greeks and Romans. In connection with the import of tomatoes to Europe in 1522, Italian pizza first appeared in Naples. In the 17th century, a special kind of bakers, pizzaiolo (Italian "pizzaiolo"), appeared, preparing pizza for Italian peasants.

Addicted to pizza was the wife of the King of Naples Ferdinand IV, Maria-Carolina of Habsburg-Lorraine (-), and later - the Italian king Umberto I and his wife Margherita of Savoy, after whom one of the recipes and a variety of pizza was named - Margarita ... Although it is believed that this is just a legend. Pizza came to the United States at the end of the second half of the 19th century along with Italian immigrants, and apparently first appeared in Chicago. In 1957, the semi-finished pizza appeared. By the end of the 20th century, ready-made frozen semi-finished pizza products became widespread, which before use it is enough to warm up in microwave oven or oven.

Preparation

Rolling out pizza dough

Baking pizza on wood in a specially equipped oven

Baking pizza over an open fire

Frozen pizza

Pizza knife.

The classic pizza dough is made from special flour (Farina Di Grano Tenero, tipo 00), natural yeast (sourdough), salt and water. The dough is kneaded by hand and sent for a two-hour rest, after which it is divided into balls and sent for a long rest - about 8 hours. The pizza base is formed from the ball by hands, the dough is covered with tomato sauce or its analogues. After that, it is possible to add almost any fillings. Classic pizza is baked in a special wood-burning oven called Pompeian and has the shape of a hemispherical vault. There are also hearth and conveyor ovens for baking pizza. In wood-burning stoves, the fire is lit from one side; the heat from it, rising up, falls into the focus of the sphere and is reflected in the center of the furnace in the middle of the hearth, heating it. In this regard, pizza in such an oven is cooked for about 90 seconds, and at home - in an oven preheated to 250-275 ° C for 8 to 10 minutes.

Eating pizza

Eating pizza with your hands

The traditional classic large "collective" pizza is cut radially with a special knife into 4, 6, 8, etc. pieces before use.

There is a one-person version of the pizza - the pizza, which does not require cutting.

Famous pizza varieties

Recently, vegetarian pizzas have become popular, which can be without meat, dairy products, and even without the use of wheat flour, which is used to make the dough. The dough itself is made from crushed flaxseeds, carrots, celery and zucchini. All components are mixed, a cake is formed and dried in a device that evaporates moisture.

Pizza in the USA

Due to the widespread influence of Italian and Greek immigrants on American culture, pizza has become very widespread in the United States. There are quite a number of regional types of pizza that bear only a distant resemblance to the Italian original. The thickness of the crust depends on the preferences of the consumer; thick and thin dough pizzas are equally popular. Often, new types of pizza are created using purely American products such as barbecue chicken or bacon.

Ingredients

American pizza in its dough often contains vegetable oil, not always olive oil, which cannot be found in traditional Italian recipes. The amount and composition of the filling, as well as the size of the pizza itself, can vary over a very wide range. Sometimes the filling of pizza is called topping, which is slightly contrary to the definition. In addition, American pizza (at least with a thin crust) uses flour with a high gluten content (often 13-14%). This dough can be stretched without tearing.

Various fillings can be added, usually:

• Tomato Sauce is a common replacement for tomato paste used in Italian pizzas, a fairly heavily spiced, smooth sauce with a low water content. For example, barbecue sauce is sometimes used.
• Cheese, usually mozzarella, as well as provolone, cheddar, parmesan, feta, and other cheeses.
• Fruits and vegetables: garlic, artichoke hearts, eggplant, olives, capers, onions, spinach, tomatoes, red peppers, green chili peppers, pineapple and others.
• Mushrooms, usually champignons, rarely truffles.
• Meat products: salami sausages, pepperoni, italian ham, bacon, beef, and chicken.
• Seafood: anchovies, tuna, salmon, shrimp, octopus, squid, mussels.
• Herbs and spices: basil, oregano, black pepper, chili.
• Nuts: cashews, pistachios, and pine nuts.
• Oil: olive, walnut or truffle.

In some recipes, tomato sauce is either absent (white pizza) or replaced with another sauce (most often garlic oil, as well as sauces with spinach and onions). In Philadelphia, there are tomato pizzas containing only sauce, or a sauce with ripe Roman tomatoes and no cheese spices, as well as upside-down pizza with cheese on the bottom and topped with sauce on top. Pizza is consumed hot (usually for lunch or dinner), the cooled remaining pieces are used for breakfast.

Types of American pizza

New York pizza (New York-style pizza) - a type of pizza, born in New York, brought by immigrants from Naples - the birthplace of pizza. Often of impressive size, slices are thin and flexible. The dough is hand-kneaded using a moderate amount of sauce and cheese. New York pizza can be considered an enlarged version of the Neapolitan pizza. Pizza slices are always eaten folded in half or even stacked on top of each other due to the size and flexibility of the crust. This type of pizza dominates the northeastern states. If a resident of the United States says "pizza" - then most likely he means the New York version of its execution. Many pizzerias in New York offer two main varieties of pizza: "Neapolitan" or "regular", with a thinner round base, and "Sicilian" or "rectangular", with a thicker dough, cut into rectangular pieces. Another type of pizza that is more popular on Long Island (less often in the Queens and Manhattan areas) is grandma's pizza (Grandma pizza). This pizza is rectangular in shape and has a thin, crispy crust. Has less cheese than usual. Sometimes spices and butter are mixed into the dough.

Pizza New Haven (New Heaven-style pizza), also known as pizza, is popular with South Connecticut residents. The pizza has a thin crust that can be either soft or quite tough, depending on the specific manufacturer. The default is “white” pizza, seasoned with only garlic and hard cheese; customers who wish to add tomato sauce or mozzarella must request this separately. The pizza has a very dark, "burnt" crunchy crust, which is distinguished by a bitter taste, compensated by the sweetness of the tomato or other filling.

Greek pizza (Greece-style pizza) - popular in New England; spread in pizzerias owned by Greek immigrants. The pizza has a thicker crust and is baked in a pan in the oven, not directly on the stone. Regular olive oil is part of the topping and is also used to grease the pan and make the crust crisp. Pizza recipes used in other parts of the country include feta cheese, Kalamate olives, and Greek spices such as oregano.

Chicago pizza on thin crust (Chicago-style thin-crust pizza) has a thinner dough than the Chicago-style deep dish and is baked flat rather than shaped. The crust, although thin, has sufficient strength in contrast to New York pizza. The crust is smeared with a southern Italian tomato sauce that contains herbs and wine, and usually contains no visible tomato slices. Then a layer of filling and a layer of mozzarella cheese is added, which is often detached from the crust due to the tomato sauce. The pizza is cut into three to four squares (8-10 cm), and not into wedges, as is usually done. Due to the small size of the pieces, there is no need to fold the pizza. Chicago thin crust pizza is common throughout the Midwest. The most famous pizza chains are Aurelio's Pizza, Home Run Inn and Rosati's Pizza.

St. Louis Pizza (St. Louis-style pizza) is a thin crust version of Chicago pizza popular in St. Louis, Missouri, as well as Southern Illinois. The most striking difference is the use of spent (Provel) cheese instead of mozzarella. Less commonly, a mixture of these cheeses is used. The fillings are usually made from fresh ingredients, cut into cubes. Common to this type of pizza is the presence on top of large pieces of onion, sliced \u200b\u200bpaprika rings and a whole strip of bacon. In the case of ordering pizza with sausage or other meat products, the meat chokes with your hands. Thin dough becomes crispy after cooking and is sometimes compared to crackers. Despite the round crust, the pizza is cut into square pieces.

California pizza (California-style pizza) is made with unconventional ingredients. Fresh products are preferred. A popular option, Thai Chicken Pizza, is made with peanut sauce, bean sprouts, carrots, and barbecue sauce on top. This recipe was invented at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California and has been popularized by California Pizza Kitchen, Wolfgang Puck's and others.

Hawaiian pizza (Hawaiian pizza) is made with Canadian bacon (or chopped ham), pineapple and mozzarella cheese. This type of pizza is especially popular in the western US, as well as in Australia, Canada and Sweden, but not in Hawaii. Hawaiian pizza is also popular in Europe.

Canadian pizza (Canadian-style pizza). Pizza with marinara sauce, a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, pepperoni, bacon (usually not Canadian), mushrooms, sliced \u200b\u200bwhite onions is very popular in Ontario. The mixture of oregano, parsley and garlic is reminiscent of the Montreal method of making spices. The crust is thick, often decorated with garlic.

Pizza tacos (Taco pizza). The filling uses ingredients typical of tacos such as lettuce, chopped beef, ham, chopped tomatoes, avocado, corn chips, cheddar cheese, sour cream and taco sauce.

Grilled pizza (Grilled pizza), invented in Providence, Rhode Island, has a rather thin grill crust, after cooking the pizza turns over so the filling is on the baked side.

English pancakes (English muffin), french bread (French bread pizza) and bagel pizza (pizza bagels) are common pizza analogues that can be prepared at home using an ordinary oven or toaster. Need to add sauce grated cheese and pepperoni. French bread is also available as a semi-finished product.

Pizza Nick-O-Pain (Nic-o-boli) is a baked product manufactured by Nicola Pizza, made from ingredients characteristic of stromboli and shaped like a calzone.

Pizza in Japan

There are also a large number of films where pizza delivery scenes occur and pizza delivery men appear among the minor and even main characters.

Gallery

American with pepperoni sausage, pepper, olives and mushrooms





Square



Pizza roll



Israeli pizza matzo



Chinese (Hong Kong)



Pie (Ohio)



Hawaiian with pineapple



White with mushrooms (Bali)



With fried mushrooms and katsu sauce



With mushrooms and sausages



With truffles



With potatoes (Denmark)



With shrimps and salad

The history of pizza - from ancient times to the present. The history of pizza in Italy, America and Russia.

It is impossible to imagine without this dish modern kitchen: improving over the centuries, acquiring new shades of taste, it has won recognition throughout the world. This is one of the best culinary inventions of all time - the well-known pizza.

Today, the Italian national dish is popular on all continents, but few people know that the traditions of its preparation go back centuries: the beginning of the history of pizza can be considered the day when people learned to bake flat bread various fillings test.

The oldest history of pizza

It is not known for certain which people invented pizza; Romans, Greeks, Etruscans, Phoenicians, etc. claim the role of the discoverers of this dish. The history of the emergence of pizza is inextricably linked with those distant times when the first flour products appeared. According to the mentions that are found in historical sources, Persian warriors in the 5th century BC prepared cakes with dates and cheese, which they ate during the campaigns. In ancient Egypt, bread made from sour milk, flour and yeast learned to bake about 6 thousand years ago. For flavor, algae from the Nile was sometimes added to the dough. Flatbreads with aromatic herbs the ancient Egyptians celebrated the birthday of the pharaoh.

In ancient Greece, filled loafs were prepared according to the same principle as modern pizza is made: greens, olives, onions and cheese were laid on the raw dough, the filling was flavored with olive oil and the cakes were baked on stones. The inhabitants of Hellas called these flat baked breads "plakuntos". Diversified the recipe greek tortillas ancient Romans: in addition to olives, cheese and onions, they began to add honey, fresh vegetables and aromatic herbs to the filling.

For the first time the word "pizza" was mentioned in Latin texts that date back to the end of the 10th century. According to most linguists, it comes from the word "pinsere", which translates as "crush", "crush". According to another version, the name of the dish has Greek roots: in the language of the Hellenes "pita" is lavash. Later research suggests that the word "pizza" comes from the Gothic "bĭzzo-pĭzzo", which means "a piece of bread."

The Mediterranean theory of the origin of pizza is refuted by Scandinavian ethnographers. After studying the culture of the Vikings, Norwegian scientists came to the conclusion that modern pizza comes from the bread with fish and vegetables that northern sailors ate: in their opinion, the pans that were used to bake flat cakes, found during archaeological excavations, serve as proof of this.

History of pizza in Italy

It is safe to say that the peasants gave the pizza a modern look: they learned how to make flat round "bread" from simple products that were at hand - water, flour and simple spices. The peoples that inhabited the Mediterranean coast, since ancient times, baked cakes in coals, flavored them seasonal vegetables, chicken, nuts, cheese and olive oil. Flat "bread" in ancient times also served as a plate.

In the Apennines, for centuries, two varieties of tortillas have been popular: one with onions and garlic, the other with vegetables and cheese. In Italy, they are still sold today, calling them “village pizza”. And from modern pizza these products were distinguished by one important detail - the absence of tomatoes. Tomatoes appeared in the Apennines only in 1522: Spanish conquistadors brought them to Europe from South America. True, for a while exotic berries were considered inedible. But soon the peasants who lived in the vicinity of Naples tasted the overseas fruits and began to use them for making traditional breads, adding fresh tomatoes to the filling of anchovies and garlic.

But even in 1738, when the first pizzeria was opened in Naples (L'Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba still works today), pizza was still the food of the poor. She did not want to know even to touch the ignoble food of the common people. Everything changed only after a century and a half, on the birthday of Margaret of Savoy, the wife of Umberto I, who headed the united Italian kingdom.

Royal Pizza: The History of the Margarita Pizza

During a trip to Naples, the royal family expressed their desire to taste the famous Neapolitan dish. Raphael Esposito, the most experienced chef at the time, was entrusted with preparing pizza for the distinguished guests. Trying to please the queen, he made three types of traditional Neapolitan treats for her at once: with olive oil, tomatoes and garlic, with cheese, basil and bacon, and he came up with a special filling for the third pizza, made of white cheese, scarlet tomatoes and green basil, that is chose products of the colors in which the Italian flag is painted. The queen liked the "patriotic" dish so much that she allowed the chef to name the culinary masterpiece he had created by his own name. Over time, "Margarita" won the fame of the most exquisite food in all of Italy: the Queen ordered that this wonderful pizza be prepared exclusively in her palace.

Pizza Adventure Overseas: The History of Pizza in America

The spread of pizza around the world began in the USA, where Italian emigrants brought recipes for a traditional Neapolitan dish. In Chicago, pizza was sold right on the street, cut piece by piece: one serving could be bought for only two cents. To keep warm, itinerant merchants put freshly baked cakes in copper vats and, carrying them on their heads, offered a hot dish to passers-by. The first pizzeria in America appeared in 1905 in New York. The institution, opened by the Italian Gennaro Lombardy, still receives visitors today.

In the 40s in the USA “American pizza” was invented: it differed from the Italian one in baking temperature, variety of fillings and dough preparation technology, the high edges of which made it possible to put more filling on the cakes. In 1957, they began to produce semi-finished pizzas.

Surprisingly, in America, pizza became really popular only after the Second World War, when American soldiers, returning to their homeland after the war in Italy, brought with them a love of Mediterranean cuisine.

The modern history of pizza

Until the beginning of the 19th century, pizza as a dish was well known in Naples, but little popular in other regions of the country. The victorious procession of pizza around the world began only after the unification of the dwarf states, into which Italy was fragmented, in 1870. By the beginning of the 20th century, pizza had become a favorite dish for Italians; cakes with anchovies and mushrooms were considered especially tasty. In the 60s of the XX century, one after another pizzerias opened in Veneto, Umbria, Tuscany, Trentino, Emilie-Romagna.

Today, the scale of pizza production in the Apennines is so great that every third inhabitant of our planet could get a portion of real Italian pizza, which is very important to cook correctly: the cakes are baked only in a wood-fired oven, and the dough is made without the help of a rolling pin: it is prepared by hand, tossing and rotating.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, pizza has been tried in Hungary, Poland and other European countries. And soon the Neapolitan delicacy became popular in Asia. In Russia, pizza was introduced only in the 90s. At first, this dish was considered a delicacy, but very soon it turned into an everyday food available to every Russian. Homemade recipes have become very popular in our country, in which ingredients traditional for Russian cuisine prevail: herring, pink salmon, russian cheese, sausage, potatoes and mushrooms.

Having passed a difficult path through the millennia, an uncomplicated cake has become a real culinary masterpiece, from a simple peasant food has turned into an exquisite dish, which in the Middle Ages was honored with kings, and today they treat friends, they cook with love at home for the closest and dearest people.

Is a centuries-old improvement simple recipes... You can also become a part of it by adding to favourite dish its zest. Let the pizza on your plate always be tasty and healthy!

Pizza has a thousand-year history, it is still unknown who first invented this dish. Historians are still arguing about who could become the creator of pizza, however, no one came to a consensus. Nowadays, pizza is considered to be an Italian dish.

History of the origin of pizza in other countries

Ancient man learned to bake tortillas. For this, coals and a stone were used, on which the cake was baked. All Mediterranean peoples used this recipe, and then olive oil began to be used. Then the tortilla was sprinkled with herbs and seasonal vegetables. The same cake served as a plate, which allowed it to become versatile dish in hikes and work in the field.

The official prototype of pizza is considered to be flat cakes, which were made in Ancient Egypt. About 6 thousand years ago, yeast was invented, and sour dough was used in the baking of these tortillas. There are references from historians that already in the 5th century, warriors were preparing cakes from dough, dates and cheese on their shields. The legendary Etruscans used the same method. Then, according to some sources, this recipe was borrowed by Ancient Greece, and from there it got to Rome, where the official history of this dish begins.

Exactly at Ancient Greece pizza was prepared, as closely as possible resembling its modern look. On the raw dough, the Greeks laid out cheese, herbs, onions and other vegetables, after which they poured olive oil and baked in fiery ovens. This dish was called "plakuntos" and was found even in the annals of Plato. He mentioned that the cake was present at a magnificent feast.

For a time it was believed that pizza was food for the plebeians. This was due to the fact that it was very convenient to eat pizza before working in the fields, it satisfied hunger, allowed to gain strength and did not require much time to cook. In this recipe, almost everything was used available products - from vegetables to jerky... But, later, from the sources of history it became known that the dish was very popular among the nobility. Their pizza had a slightly different recipe, but the essence remained the same - a flatbread with cheese, tomatoes, other vegetables and olive oil. Rustic pizza in Italy was called focazzia.

The ancient Romans already had a different name for the dish - "placenta". They complicated the recipe by adding bay leaves and honey to the dough. Cato the Elder mentioned a cake with herbs and honey smeared with honey in his treatise On Agriculture. However, there is another version of the appearance of pizza in ancient Rome. It is believed that it was brought by Roman legionaries after returning from Palestine and was called "picea".

This theory is confirmed by the remnants cookbook called "De Re Coquinaria", which was found in ruined Pompeii. The author of the book is Mark Gavius \u200b\u200bApicius, who lived during early Christianity. This book said that you need to put nuts, cheese, pieces on the dough chicken meat, mint, pepper, garlic and olive oil, then bake and serve, chilled in the snow.

There are many rumors about the history of the emergence of pizza, so Norwegian scientists hypothesized that the prototype of the pizza was invented by the Vikings, who cooked tortillas on ships using recipes similar to pizza. They had special pans that helped prepare this dish using meat, vegetables and fish.

The history of the appearance of pizza in the form that mankind knows now began in 1522. At this moment, tomatoes were brought to Europe, which at first were considered a poison. Among people, tomatoes were called "the devil's berry", and the nobility refused to take them for food for a long time. However, the Neapolitan poor soon realized that the product was quite edible and had good taste, and began to use tomatoes as pizza toppings.

Already in the 17th century, pizza was a dough cake topped with olive oil, cheese, tomatoes, herbs and bacon. It was cooked by special chefs called "pizzaioli". By the way, this definition for the masters has been preserved to this day. The bakers of that time baked pizza in the early morning, which was in great demand among sailors who returned in the late evenings. At the same time, fresh seafood began to be actively used in pizza.

In the 18th century, pizzerias began to appear, in which a special oven and a marble bench were installed for cooking. In the same room, tables were installed, and ready-made ones were sold in the shop windows, which buyers could take with them. Around the same period, pizza began to appear on the tables of the nobility. The wife of the King of Naples even gave an order that a special oven for this dish should be built in the summer residence, which she later treated to the royal guests.

The pizza culture flourished in the 1870s, when many dwarf states united. A single state of Italy was formed, in which the fashion for certain things spread throughout the country. Ultimately, this led to the fact that pizza became popular not only in Naples, but also in all other territories. By the way, an interesting fact: the pizza recipe in different regions was completely unique. For example, Roman pizza to this day has a thin and crispy dough, while Neapolitan pizza is softer and crumbly. Already at the end of the 19th century, the food became popular throughout Italy, new recipes and types were invented, the nobility showed special interest in the dish.

In 1905, the first pizzeria was opened in New York, in which own recipe, called "American" or "New York pizza". A distinctive feature of this cake is the raised edges, which allow you to use even more filling. Now this recipe is no less popular than the original one. In Japan, their own version of pizza was invented, which did not have a certain recipe, everyone could add to it whatever he wanted. The only condition was the presence of a sprinkle of dry tuna, which stirred from the steam of the hot pizza.

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