Pizza is the favorite food of many people: kids, teens, adults, and even the elderly. It is a popular food in various countries such as Italy, America, and more. In America, you can purchase pizza from a majority of fast food joints, restaurants, a supermarket freezer section, and even make your own from home. There is also a multitude of different forms of pizza and there is no combination that cannot be created. While the possibility of ingredients is endless, the magical mix to make pizza is bread, cheese, and tomato sauce. As common as having pizza for a meal is, many people do not know much about the food and its origin. Here are seven things you probably do not know about pizza and best place to get some in Weston, FL.
The Origin Of Pizza
Many people assume pizza originated from Italy, however, it is not necessarily a straightforward question to answer due to the fact that it depends on how you define “pizza.” If pizza, for you, is a flatbread that is cooked in an oven, then it can date back to ancient times in the Middle East. Unleavened bread, which is bread made without yeast, was baked in mud ovens by the ancient Egyptians, Israelites, and Babylonians. If pizza is defined as having toppings, it can date back to the ancient Romans and Greek, both of who ate baked flatbreads topped with local spices and oil spices. In modern times, this type of dish is called a focaccia bread. Now, if you define pizza by it’s most familiar definition, with tomato sauce, cheese, and toppings, then it did originate in Italy. It is commonly thought that a baker in Naples, Italy was hired to bake a pizza for the Italian King and Queen at that time, however, street vendors and poor workers were eating flatbreads with a multitude of toppings years before the dish was introduced to the King and Queen.
The Origin Of The Word “Pizza”
The first usage of the word pizza was documented in AD 997 in Gaeta, Italy and then later recorded in various parts of both Central and Southern Italy. According to the La Repubblica, an Italian newspaper, the word was first used within a document written in Gaeta. Within the said document, a local bishop was promised the dish by the son of a feudal lord as annual tribute. Gaeta, Italy is northwest of Naples, which is where the most common form of pizza is said to come from. There are a few theories for the etymological origin of the word. One theory is that the word is related to the Lombardic word bizzo or pizzo, which means mouthful, and is associated with the English form of bite.
You Will Not Find Pizza Slices In Italy
In Italy, it is not common to find a pizza cut into slices as it tends to only be served whole or cut into squares and rectangles from a large pizza tray, called pizza al taglio. Instead of being able to buy pre-cut slices, as you can in the United States, you are able to order specific sized pieces of your choice of which after, the shop heats up for you. Pizza being cut into slices was an American invention in early New York because pizza sellers would sell whole pies for around five cents a pie. However, for those who could not afford to purchase a whole pie, the sellers would cut them into wedges and sell them for a few cents apiece.
The Outer Edge Is Called The Cornicione
Another common belief held by people is that the outer ring surrounding a pizza is referred to as the crust. However, the crust is only really the base that holds the sauce and toppings that are placed on top of the dough before it is baked. The cornicione is the actual term for the outer ring and it means the cornice or the molding. This specific term is generally used when referring to the rim of a Neapolitan-style pizza but still can be used in reference to other forms of pizza. Knowing the difference between the crust and the cornicione is good when talking with watching a cooking show or talking to a professional chef.
World War II Popularized Pizza In America
It was not until World War II that pizza became a popular dish in the United States. While Italians that immigrated to America brought the dish with them and sold it in big cities such as New York and Chicago in the early twentieth century, it only remained popular among the Italian immigrants. It was during the Italian Campaign that changed the views of Americans on pizza. Thousands of troops were occupying Italy and in search of alternative dishes to the food rations that were provided to them by the military, they found pizza. It became a popular food to many American soldiers, from low-ranking to the Supreme Commander. Once the U.S. soldiers began returning home from Italy, it turned into a national phenomenon that became extremely popular. The dish was no longer a meal for immigrants but a fun and fast food that fell in line with the new post-war lifestyle. The United States’s first chain of restaurants serving pizza was Shakey’s, which was founded in 1954 in Sacramento.
Overall, pizza is nationally loved meal in the United States and in many other countries as well. It is served an abundance of cities and there is a long list of pizza chains that sell the dish. Pizza has become an American classic that is the food at the center of pop culture or culture for that matter in the USA. However, there are also many local restaurants that serve the food and one such restaurant in Weston, FL is Angelo Elia Pizza. It is a chain restaurant that has locations not only in Weston but Delray Beach, Coral Springs, and Fort Lauderdale. Not only does the restaurant offer various types of pizza, but it also has various events and wines that offer a friendly way to get together with friends! See More Visit: Pizza Weston Florida
