Who Invented Pizza? Inside The History Of Where And When The World’s Most Popular Flatbread Originated

Who Invented Pizza? Inside The History Of Where And When The World’s Most Popular Flatbread Originated

Although Naples is widely known as the birthplace of pizza, humans around the world have been making circular flatbreads covered with similar toppings since ancient times. Archaeologists working in Sardinia found evidence of leavened flatbread being baked there some 7,000 years ago, and as time went on, people decided to add a bit of flavor by incorporating oils, vegetables, meats, and spices. ⁠ By the sixth century B.C.E., Persian soldiers under the rule of King Darius I were topping flatbreads with dates and cheese, while ancient China produced a round flatbread called bing, and India created a fat-infused flatbread called paratha. Meanwhile, researchers have unearthed cooking utensils that could have been used to make pizza-like dishes from the ruins of Pompeii, which means this beloved food could date back to at least the Mt. Vesuvius eruption around 72 C.E. Perhaps the most similar to modern pizza, however, were the flatbreads of ancient Mediterraneans, particularly the Greeks and Egyptians, who topped theirs with a combination of oils, spices, and fruits.⁠ ⁠ Learn more about pizza's origins — and who truly invented it — The Origins Of Pizza In Ancient Flatbreads For thousands of years, humans have been combining different herbs, spices, vegetables, fungi, and meats to make dishes that not only served the purpose of sustaining life, but tasted good too. It only makes sense, then, that some of these combinations would look a lot like pizza. Archaeologists working in Sardinia found evidence of leavened bread being baked around 7,000 years ago. As time went on, people decided to add a bit of flavor by incorporating oils, vegetables, meats, and spices. According to Science Trends, by the sixth century B.C.E., Persian soldiers under the rule of King Darius I were topping flatbreads with dates and cheese. The ancient Chinese made a round flatbread called bing. India had a fat-infused flatbread called paratha. You can find similar flatbreads in other South and Central Asian cultures, including roti and naan. Perhaps the most similar to modern pizza, however, were the flatbreads of the ancient Mediterranean, particularly Greece and Egypt. Here, flatbreads were topped with a combination of oils, spices, and fruits — likely, some of the same toppings that are put on modern-day Mediterranean-style flatbreads. Ancient Roman historians later chronicled the dishes in their various accounts. In the third century C.E., Cato the Elder wrote of a round flatbread topped with herbs and olives. In the fifth century C.E., Virgil wrote of a similar dish. Archaeologists later recovered cooking utensils that could have been used to make pizza-like dishes from the ruins of Pompeii, which means they date back to at least the Mt. Vesuvius eruption around 72 C.E. Of course, none of these foods were pizza, but they were similar. So who invented pizza? It isn’t difficult to see how the concept of a “pizza” found its way to Italy. It was here that the modern pizza came to be, but its creation may have been due to necessity more than anything else. ⁠