Pizza is an Italian, specifically Neapolitan, dish typically consisting of a flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomato, cheese, and other ingredients, baked at a high temperature, traditionally in a wood-fired oven. The term pizza was first recorded in 997 AD, in a Latin manuscript from the southern Italian town of Gaeta, in Lazio, on the border with Campania. Raffaele Esposito is often credited for creating the modern pizza in Naples. In 2009, Neapolitan pizza was registered with the European Union as a traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) dish. In 2017, the art of making Neapolitan pizza was included on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage. 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. In Italy, pizza served in a restaurant is presented unsliced, and is eaten with the use of a knife and fork. 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. Store-bought pizzas 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. Overall, 13% of the US population aged two years and over consumed pizza on any given day.
Although flatbreads with toppings have been eaten for centuries across various cultures, the modern pizza as we know it originated in Naples, Italy, during the 18th century. It was originally a humble food for the working class, sold by street vendors and small bakeries to people who needed an affordable and filling meal. Pizza became more widely known outside of Italy following waves of Italian immigration to the United States and other countries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, pizza is one of the most widely consumed foods in the world, with billions of slices eaten every year.
Neapolitan pizza is one of the oldest and most traditional forms of pizza, recognized for its simplicity and quality ingredients. It is made with hand-kneaded dough that rests for hours before baking, topped with raw San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella di bufala, fresh basil leaves, and extra virgin olive oil. This pizza is always baked in a wood-fired oven at very high temperatures for just 60 to 90 seconds, giving it a puffy, blistered crust and a soft, slightly chewy texture. The pizza is small in size and intended to be eaten as an individual meal, not sliced for sharing.
In recognition of its cultural and culinary significance, Neapolitan pizza was granted Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) status by the European Union in 2009. This designation protects not only the name but also the traditional preparation methods used in its creation. Chefs who wish to market their pizza as “Neapolitan” must adhere to specific ingredient standards, dough-handling procedures, and baking techniques. This ensures authenticity and helps preserve the history and identity of this time-honored dish.
Further elevating its global importance, the art of the Neapolitan “pizzaiuolo” — the skilled craft of making Neapolitan pizza — was added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017. This recognition celebrates not just the food itself, but also the tradition, knowledge, and community involved in its making. Generations of pizza makers in Naples have passed down techniques and rituals, including the theatrical spinning of dough and the pride taken in wood-fired baking. This cultural heritage reflects the deep connection between food and identity in southern Italy.
The earliest known reference to the word "pizza" dates back to the year 997 AD in a document from the town of Gaeta, in southern Italy. The term then spread to different parts of central and southern Italy over the following centuries. Interestingly, pizza remained a regional specialty for a long time and only began to appear in Italian cookbooks in the late 1800s. It wasn’t until after World War II, with increased global travel and migration, that pizza exploded in popularity and became the worldwide phenomenon we know today.
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