This Italian dish dates back to late antiquity. The word ‘pizza’ is thought to have appeared for the first time in 997. Its origin is controversial: for some, the word comes from the German bizoo, meaning ‘piece of bread’, and for others, from the Greek pitta, meaning ‘fouace’ (a ball of bread cooked in a wood-fired oven) or ‘galette’ (a generic term that includes king cake or meatball).
This flat dough resembles many of the breads that can still be found today in the various countries of the Mediterranean basin. Over time and depending on the region, this ‘bread’ has been accompanied by other ingredients. There is no real city of origin for pizza, but it was in Italy that it developed in the Middle Ages.
With the first trading posts and trade between countries, tomatoes and buffalo (whose milk is used to make mozzarella) arrived in Italy, more specifically in Naples. The Neapolitans were the first to top their bread with tomatoes. Initially, this simple dish was sold on the streets of Naples, cooked in a wood-fired oven.
It was in 1780 that the first modern Italian pizza saw the light of day, the Margherita pizza (bread, tomato, cheese), made by Raffaele Esposito in honour of Queen Margherite, who loved her pizzas. This pizza has the colours of the Italian flag: red (the tomato), white (the mozzarella) and green (the basil). It's a classic that you can't miss in any good pizzeria.
It wasn't until the second half of the 19th century that pizza crossed Italian borders with the first immigrants. The hundreds of thousands of Italians who landed in France or the United States introduced pizza to their adopted country. Over time, pizza became part of a Western lifestyle, embracing all cultures without ever losing its identity. At the end of the Second World War, Italian labourers introduced their national dish to the rest of Europe.
The first mention of pizza appeared in 1903, in the heart of Marseille's old harbour, where Neapolitans ate pizza bianca rather than rossa (with tomatoes).
Pinsa, or white Roman pizza, originated in ancient Rome around 1700. Originally, the Italian peasant population used a mixture of millet, barley and spelt with salt and herbs.
Pizza is a traditional Italian recipe, originally from Naples, based on a slice of bread dough, topped mainly with olive oil, tomato sauce, mozzarella and other ingredients and baked in the oven.
It was at the end of the 19th century that Raffaele Esposito, considered the father of modern pizza, decided to dedicate a pizza to Queen Marguerite of Savoy. Esposito had opened the ‘Pizzeria di Pietro e Basta Così’ in 1780. The Margherita pizza became the most famous and popular pizza in the world. The dish was both ingenious and easy to prepare, as it symbolised the new Italian flag. Basil represented green, mozzarella white and tomatoes red. A true work of art.
Yoann Mormile, o chefe francês de Bourg-en-Bresse, já campeão francês de pizza napolitana em 2021, ganhou o título de campeão mundial da pizza napolitana em Las Vegas, em março de 2023.
Did you know?
Maestrella is France's leading brand of mozzarella cheese and pizza cheese for catering and number 3 in Europe, and it is thanks to our experience that we have managed to lead this market. Currently available in more than 60 countries - including Italy - our mozzarella is used and appreciated by professional chefs all over the world. You've probably already eaten and enjoyed our mozzarella during a meal in a restaurant!
Adopted by many professionals over the years, we believe that our cheeses can benefit even more people. That's why we're proud to launch our range of mozzarella cheeses for everyone! You can find mozzarella from your favourite restaurant for a meal at home and perhaps recreate that famous dish you loved.