What are the origins of pizza?
History of pizza
The history of pizza begins in antiquity, when various ancient cultures produced basic flatbreads with several toppings.
A precursor of pizza was probably the focaccia, a flat bread known to the Romans as , to which toppings were then added. Modern pizza developed in Naples when tomato was added to the focaccia in the late 18th century.
The word "pizza" was first documented in 997 A.D. in Gaeta and successively in different parts of Central and Southern Italy. Pizza was mainly eaten in Italy and
and 1970s saw the growth of what has become the borough's trademark, the pizza business. The origins of selling pizza are believed to be rooted within the Ghigiarelli family, when Mrs. Ghigiarelli used to serve her homemade pizza to coal miners who gathered to play cards. This led to what is known as "Old Forge Pizza." This pizza is typically rectangular in shape with a balanced sauce, and topped with a blend of cheeses – usually mozzarella and white American or mozzarella and mild cheddar – on a crispy thick crust