Ancient Pizza and Italy
While pizza may have originated in Italy just a few hundred years ago, its origins go a lot further back. In fact, we can trace pizza all the way back to ancient times, thousands of years ago. The Romans, Greeks and even the Egyptians dabbled in cooking flatbread with ovens and topping it with spices to enhance the flavour.
But something was missing. Sure, the idea for cooking bread and topping it with different ingredients was close but it was missing something. Something red. Step forward the humble tomato.
In the 1500s, tomatoes were brought to Europe from Peru and bakers in Naples decided to experiment, preparing the first meal that would go on to more closely resemble the delicious pizza we all know and love. The Neapolitan bakers worked wonders to feed the people of Naples for centuries, but it wasn’t until the 1800s when a hungry Queen Margherita happened to request food as she passed through the city of Naples. She chose to devour a pizza made with red tomato sauce, basil and mozzarella – the pizza would go on to be named after her and thus the popular Margarita pizza was thrust into the spotlight and born.
The Great Pizza Pilgrimage of the 1900s and Boom of the 60s
As the world became smaller, thanks to faster ways of travelling, people were encouraged to spread their wings and journeyed to different corners of the world. For the Neapolitans, they shared pizza recipes with the world, causing a great pizza boom in the 1900s.
From England and France to the newly established United States of America, pizza began to conquer the world in its own small way. Simple to make and delicious to taste, meant that before long the world had access to pizza close to home. While it took many decades for pizza to establish itself, over time, the love of pizza grew and people far and wide began to take the original recipes and start to experiment, leading to an explosion of pizza just a hundred years later.
From the 1960s, pizza became more than just an exotic meal, it became a part of modern life across the world. Restaurants started springing up, frozen pizzas were sold, fresh pizza delivery became a new way to eat and experimentation of the humble Margherita exploded to include a raft of new ingredients that allowed people to see what was great, and what wasn’t. At this point it was clear that the pizza was a main driver of a booming food industry across cities, countries and continents.
A Profitable Industry That’s Still Growing
Pizza is loved the world over. In California today, there are over 7000 pizzerias, an astonishing number that shows how popular this simple food is. At times, the world feels more divided than ever, but there’s no doubt that there is an almost universal love for pizza no matter where you are or where you’re from.
With Barrel and Stone at the forefront of pizza in pubs across the UK, you can make sure you serve great pizza to your customers that provides you with a healthy profit. Ask us today how you can serve top-quality pizza to your customers in a way that simply makes sense.ind out more.