Pizza

Pizza
A pizza divided into eight slices
TypeFlatbread
CourseLunch, dinner, or snack
Place of originItaly
Region or stateNaples, Campania
Serving temperatureHot or warm
Main ingredientsDough, sauce (usually tomato sauce), cheese (typically mozzarella, dairy or vegan)
VariationsCalzone, panzerotto

Pizza (/ˈptsə/ PEET-sə, Italian: [ˈpittsa]; Neapolitan: [ˈpittsə]) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomato, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as anchovies, mushrooms, onions, olives, vegetables, meat, etc.), which is then baked at a high temperature, traditionally in a wood-fired oven.[1]

The term pizza was first recorded in the year 997 AD, in a Latin manuscript from the southern Italian town of Gaeta, in Lazio, on the border with Campania.[2] Raffaele Esposito is often credited for creating modern pizza in Naples.[3][4][5][6] In 2009, Neapolitan pizza was registered with the European Union as a traditional speciality guaranteed dish. In 2017, the art of making Neapolitan pizza was added to UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage.[7]

Pizza and its variants are among the most popular foods in the world. Pizza is sold at a variety of restaurants, including pizzerias (pizza specialty restaurants), Mediterranean restaurants, via delivery, and as street food.[8] In Italy, pizza served in a restaurant is presented unsliced, and is eaten with the use of a knife and fork.[9][10] In casual settings, however, it is typically cut into slices to be eaten while held in the hand. Pizza is also sold in grocery stores in a variety of forms, including frozen or as kits for self-assembly. They are then cooked using a home oven.

In 2017, the world pizza market was US$128 billion, and in the US it was $44 billion spread over 76,000 pizzerias.[11] Overall, 13% of the U.S. population aged two years and over consumed pizza on any given day.[12]

  1. ^ "144843". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference MartinMaiden was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Arthur Schwartz, Naples at Table: Cooking in Campania (1998), p. 68. ISBN 9780060182618.
  4. ^ John Dickie, Delizia!: The Epic History of the Italians and Their Food (2008), p. 186.
  5. ^ Father Giuseppe Orsini, Joseph E. Orsini, Italian Baking Secrets (2007), p. 99.
  6. ^ "Pizza Margherita: History and Recipe". ITALY Magazine. 14 March 2011. Archived from the original on 7 February 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  7. ^ "Naples' pizza twirling wins Unesco 'intangible' status". The Guardian. London. Agence France-Presse. 7 December 2017. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  8. ^ Miller, Hanna (April–May 2006). "American Pie". American Heritage. Archived from the original on 3 February 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  9. ^ Naylor, Tony (6 September 2019). "How to eat: Neapolitan-style pizza". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 14 September 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  10. ^ Godoy, Maria (13 January 2014). "Italians To New Yorkers: 'Forkgate' Scandal? Fuhggedaboutit". The Salt (blog). National Public Radio. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  11. ^ Hynum, Rick. "Pizza Power 2017 – A State of the Industry Report". PMQ Pizza Magazine. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  12. ^ Rhodes, Donna; et al. (February 2014). "Consumption of Pizza" (PDF). Food Surveys Research Group Dietary Data Brief No. 11. USDA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 September 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2017.