Pizza is one of the most popular fast foods in the world and is taking the Australian market by storm. Like a hamburger or hot dog, there are several unique expectations you have when you order a pizza. The pizza must have a dough crust, must be round and loaded with cheese. In this article, we answer a few questions that can elaborate on pizza’s unique character.

 

Where Did Pizza Come From?

Contrary to popular legends, the pizzas we enjoy have nothing to do with a famous cylindrical tower in Italy. Although, the leaning tower of Pisa does look like an epic 3D pizza, and the names sound the same. Despite several variations to the story of pizza’s origin, most of the claims seem to converge around the city of Naples about 500 Km south of Pisa. It is generally accepted that the city of Naples introduced pizza to the world during World War II when allied troops from the west fell in love with Italian cuisine.

 

Why Are Pizzas Round?

If you think of pizza, you almost automatically envision a large round pie in a square box. Well, this image is not only due to conditional marketing. There are various advantages to having a round pizza, including even cooking and easy division among friends. However, this is not the whole picture.

The original pizzas were made using a thin crust of dough. To achieve the right thickness, the baker would first roll out the dough then toss and spin the large slab in the air. The spinning action would form a circular shape under the action of centrifugal forces. Although we now have the tools to achieve crust consistency with any shape, people generally expect to have their pizzas in the original round shape.

 

Must Pizza Have Cheese?

When you go through a pizza menu, the restaurant rarely mentions cheese in the list of toppings. This is because a pizza is generally expected to be loaded full of cheese. As a result, many people who are lactose intolerant or have aversions to cheese don’t enjoy pizza.

Incidentally, one of the earliest mentions of the dish was a cheese-free pizza known as the Marinara. The Pizza Marinara was popularized by poor fishermen in Naples as far back as the 1730s.

 

This pizza simply consisted of the signature pizza crust covered in marinara sauce and oregano seasoning. The marinara sauce topping was made from cherry tomatoes, onions, garlic and an assortment of herbs. The fishermen loved it because they could easily preserve the ingredients and make the pizza on their voyages.

 

There is a popular story about how cheese found its way onto pizza. As the legend goes, a famous pizza chef, Raffaele Esposito, made a special pizza with tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese in 1889. He did this in honour of Margherita of Savoy, the Queen of Italy. The special pizza was called Pizza Margherita and is still served in pizzerias all over the world today. However, the authenticity of the story is in doubt because there are several recordings of a pizza with the same ingredients all over Naples as early as 1796.

 

You may still have some unanswered questions such as why the round pizza comes in a square box and is cut into triangular slices. However, at least now, you know where pizzas came from and why they are round. Also, if you are not a fan of cheese, you can still enjoy a range of cheese-free pizzas.