Bushra Griffith
The history of pizza is a long one, with flatbreads topped with herbs and oils eaten in ancient Greece and Roman soldiers adding cheese and olive oil to matzah over 2000 years ago. However, the pizza that conquered the world was the pizza of Naples. In 1889, a Neapolitan baker named Raffaele Esposito made the first pizza with a cheese topping as we know it. To celebrate the colours of the Italian flag, he created a pizza topped with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil, naming it patriotically after the Queen of Italy, Margherita Teresa Giovanni.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 1889 |
| Location | Naples, Italy |
| Creator | Neapolitan baker Raffaele Esposito |
| Purpose | To celebrate the colours of the Italian flag |
| Ingredients | Tomatoes, mozzarella, basil |
| Name | Margherita, after Queen Margherita Teresa Giovanni |
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What You'll Learn
- The first pizza with a cheese topping was made in 1889 by Neapolitan baker Raffaele Esposito
- The pizza was named after Queen Margherita Teresa Giovanni to celebrate the colours of the Italian flag
- The ancient Greeks used to eat flatbreads topped with herbs and oils, baked in communal ovens
- In the Middle Ages, peasants in Italy ate flatbreads with toppings, typically herbs and vegetables
- In the 6th century BC, Persian soldiers would bake flatbread on their battle shields and add cheese and dates as toppings
The first pizza with a cheese topping was made in 1889 by Neapolitan baker Raffaele Esposito
The first pizza with a cheese topping as we know it was made in 1889 by Neapolitan baker Raffaele Esposito. Esposito created the pizza to celebrate the colours of the Italian flag – red, yellow and green – and topped it with a new combination of tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. He patriotically named it after the Queen of Italy, Margherita Teresa Giovanni.
The pizza that conquered the world was originally a rough labourers' snack that might or might not have a topping. It was typically sold by street vendors, who would top a type of flatbread with whatever they had to hand, including cheese, garlic or tomatoes.
While the archives of history are dotted with passing mentions of what could be pizza, the consensus is that the Italian town of Naples is the birthplace of pizza as we know it today. Some historians argue that modern pizza was invented in Rome over 2000 years ago when Roman soldiers added cheese and olive oil to matzah (leavened bread). In ancient Greece, people used to eat plakous (flatbread) topped with herbs and oils. The Greeks baked these flatbreads in communal ovens known as klbanos. Moving forward to the Middle Ages, flatbreads with toppings were a popular dish among peasants in Italy. These were called “focaccia” and were typically topped with herbs and vegetables.
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The pizza was named after Queen Margherita Teresa Giovanni to celebrate the colours of the Italian flag
While flatbreads with toppings have been eaten for thousands of years, the pizza as we know it today was invented in Naples, Italy, in 1889. Neapolitan baker Raffaele Esposito created the first cheese pizza to celebrate the colours of the Italian flag: red, yellow and green. He topped a pizza with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil and named it after the Queen of Italy, Margherita Teresa Giovanni.
The idea of adding toppings to bread to make it more flavoursome is not a new one. In ancient Greece, people would eat plakous (flatbread) topped with herbs and oils, and in the Middle Ages, Italian peasants would eat 'focaccia' topped with herbs and vegetables. In Rome over 2000 years ago, Roman soldiers added cheese and olive oil to matzah (leavened bread). In the 6th century BC, Persian soldiers serving in the army of Darius the Great would bake flatbread on their battle shields and then add cheese and dates as toppings.
However, Esposito's pizza was the first to include both cheese and tomato, and it is this combination that has become a staple of pizzas ever since, at least in Naples. The pizza was originally a cheap and convenient snack for labourers, but Esposito's creation elevated it to a new level of popularity and patriotism.
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The ancient Greeks used to eat flatbreads topped with herbs and oils, baked in communal ovens
The origins of pizza are steeped in history, with the first cheese pizza as we know it today being made in 1889 by Neapolitan baker Raffaele Esposito. Esposito created a pizza topped with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil to celebrate the colours of the Italian flag. He named it patriotically after the Queen of Italy, Margherita Teresa Giovanni.
However, the basic idea of pizza goes back much further. In ancient Greece, people used to eat plakous (flatbread) topped with herbs and oils. The Greeks baked these flatbreads in communal ovens known as klbanos. Moving forward to the Middle Ages, flatbreads with toppings were a popular dish among peasants in Italy. These were called “focaccia” and were typically topped with herbs and vegetables.
Some historians argue that modern pizza was invented in Rome over 2000 years ago when Roman soldiers added cheese and olive oil to matzah (leavened bread). In the 6th century BC, Persian soldiers serving in the army of Darius the Great would bake flatbread on their battle shields and then add cheese and dates as toppings.
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In the Middle Ages, peasants in Italy ate flatbreads with toppings, typically herbs and vegetables
The idea of adding toppings to flatbreads is not a new one, with Persian soldiers serving in the army of Darius the Great baking flatbread on their battle shields and then adding cheese and dates as toppings as early as the 6th century BC. Some historians even argue that modern pizza was invented in Rome over 2000 years ago when Roman soldiers added cheese and olive oil to matzah (leavened bread).
In Naples, Italy, in 1889, a Neapolitan baker named Raffaele Esposito made the first pizza with a cheese topping as we know it today. He created a pizza topped with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil to celebrate the colours of the Italian flag – red, yellow and green. He named it patriotically after the Queen of Italy, Margherita Teresa Giovanni. This was the classic 'cheese pizza' and it made not only cheese but also tomato an essential ingredient in pizza, at least in Naples.
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In the 6th century BC, Persian soldiers would bake flatbread on their battle shields and add cheese and dates as toppings
In the 6th century BC, Persian soldiers serving in the army of Darius the Great would bake flatbread on their battle shields and add cheese and dates as toppings. This is one of the earliest known examples of what we might recognise as pizza today.
The basic idea of pizza goes back thousands of years. In ancient Greece, people ate plakous (flatbread) topped with herbs and oils, baked in communal ovens known as klbanos. In Rome, over 2000 years ago, soldiers added cheese and olive oil to matzah (leavened bread). In the Middle Ages, flatbreads with toppings were a popular dish among peasants in Italy. These were called 'focaccia' and were typically topped with herbs and vegetables.
However, the pizza that conquered the world was the pizza of Naples. Originally a rough labourer's snack, it might or might not have had a topping. Then, in 1889, a Neapolitan baker named Raffaele Esposito made the first pizza with a cheese topping as we know it. To celebrate the colours of the Italian flag – red, yellow and green – he created a pizza topped with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. He named it patriotically after the Queen of Italy, Margherita Teresa Giovanni. It was the classic 'cheese pizza', and it made not only cheese but tomato an essential ingredient in pizza, at least in Naples.
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Frequently asked questions
The first cheese pizza was made in 1889 by Neapolitan baker Raffaele Esposito.
The first cheese pizza was called the Margherita, after Queen Margherita Teresa Giovanni.
The first cheese pizza was topped with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil to represent the colours of the Italian flag.
