Pizza has a history of thousands of years, it is still unknown who first invented this dish. Historians are still arguing about who could be the creator of pizza, however, no one has come to a consensus. Now pizza is considered an Italian dish.

Ancient man learned how to bake tortillas. This was done by using coals and a stone on which the flatbread was baked. All the Mediterranean peoples used this recipe, and then olive oil began to be used. The flatbread was then sprinkled with herbs and seasonal vegetables. The same flatbread served as a plate, which allowed it to become a versatile dish in camping and field work.

The official prototype of the pizza is considered to be flatbreads, which were made in ancient Egypt. About 6,000 years ago, yeast was invented, and sour dough began to be used in baking these flatbreads. Historians mention that as early as the 5th century warriors were making tortillas from dough, dates and cheese on their shields. The legendary Etruscans used the same method. Then, according to some reports, the recipe was borrowed by ancient Greece, and from there came to Rome, where the official history of this dish begins.

It was in Ancient Greece that the pizza was made to resemble its modern form as much as possible. The Greeks placed cheese, herbs, onions and other vegetables on the raw dough, then poured olive oil on it and baked it in fiery ovens. This dish was called “plakuntos” and was even found in the annals of Plato. He mentioned that the flatbread was present at a sumptuous feast.

For a while thought that the pizza – the food for the plebeians. This was because pizza was very convenient to eat before working in the fields, she satisfied hunger, allowed to gain strength and did not require much time for cooking. Such a recipe used almost every available product, from vegetables to cured meat. But, later, from historical sources, it became known that the dish was very popular among the nobility. They have pizza had a slightly different recipe, but the essence was the same – 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 flatbread with herbs and honey, smeared with honey in his treatise “On Agriculture. However, there is another version of the appearance of the 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 supported by the remains of a cookbook called “De Re Coquinaria” which was found in the ruined Pompeii. The author of the book is Marcus Gavius Apicius, who lived during the time of early Christianity. This book said to put nuts, cheese, pieces of chicken meat, mint, pepper, garlic, and olive oil on the dough, then bake and serve, chilled in the snow.

About the history of pizza there are many rumors, so Norwegian scientists put forward the hypothesis that the prototype of pizza was invented by the Vikings, who cooked flatbread on the ships, using similar recipes to pizza. They had special pizza pans that helped prepare this dish using meat, vegetables and fish.

The history of pizza as mankind knows it now began in 1522. At this time in Europe imported tomatoes, which at first were considered poisonous. Among the people tomatoes were called “the devil’s berry”, and the nobility refused to eat them for a long time. However, the Neapolitan poor soon realized that the product was quite edible and tasty, and began to use tomatoes as toppings for pizza.

As early as the 17th century, pizza was a doughy flatbread covered with olive oil, cheese, tomatoes, herbs and bacon. It was prepared by special chefs, who were called “pizzaioli”. By the way, this definition for the craftsmen has been preserved to this day. The bakers of the time baked pizza from early morning, which was in great demand among the sailors who returned in the late evenings. This was also when fresh seafood began to be heavily used in pizza.

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