Have You Ever Wondered...
- Who invented pizza?
- How long has pizza been around?
- Where was the first pizzeria in the United States?
The pizza we’re all familiar with — the kind with tomato sauce, cheese, and toppings — did originate in Italy. Specifically, baker Raffaele Esposito from Naples is often given credit for creating the first such pizza pie. Historians note, however, that flat breads with a variety of toppings had been sold by street vendors and eaten by the poor workers of Naples for many years.
The first United States pizzeria — G. Lombardi’s — was opened in 1905 by Gennaro Lombardi at 53 1/3 Spring Street in New York City. It is still open today using its original oven, although it has changed location.
Today, pizza is one of the most popular foods in the United States and, indeed, around the world. American-style pizza, ironically, has been exported back to Italy, where it has also become a popular History of Pizza
food!