8 Things You Don't Know About Pizza

"The radiation left over from the Big Bang is the same as that in your microwave oven but very much less powerful. It would heat your pizza only to minus 271.3*C - not much good for defrosting the pizza, let alone cooking it."

- Stephen Hawking

The pizza was invented on June 17, 1889. Or so everyone thought.

Pizza, an oven-baked flat bread topped with cheese, tomato, and various toppings, is a popular dish in many parts of the world. In fact, not a few Americans prefer to eat it, being convenient in their fast-pace lifestyle. But the Italians can boast about this dish originating from the Apennine Peninsula.

Here are eight interesting things about the pizza:

1. Pizza was first documented in Gaeta in 990 AD. This community in southern Italy was valuable to the Roman Empire, if the fortifications were of any indication. (There were accounts on trade and war during that period.) But the place was known for its temperate climate, coastlines that are considered eye candy, and Medieval structures. But on that year, a tenant of certain property was said to give a bishop twelve pizzas (duodecim pizze).

2. There were records that showed earlier civilizations consuming flat bread. In Sardinia, an isle off France, archaeologists found one dating back to 7,000 years. Then the ancient Greeks have plakous, a flat bread flavored with herbs, onion, and garlic. Some scholars believed that they were popular around 8 B.C., which was when the “Odyssey” was written.

3. During the 16th century, the pizza wasn't that popular. Known as the Galette flatbread, it was a poor man's dish in Naples, the second largest metropolis in Italy, only served on the streets.

4. On June 11, 1889, Raffaele Esposito, a Neapolitan pizzamaker, created the Pizza Margherita, in honor of Margherita of Savoy, the Queen consort of Italy. It was garnished with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, representing the tricolor of the Italian flag.

5. Tomato wasn't a major ingredient in pizza back then, as many Europeans feared that it was poisonous (as are some other fruits of the Solanaceae family). But around the late 18th century, it was common among the less-privileged citizens of Naples to add tomato to their flat bread. It didn't take long for others to follow.

6. It was old custom to sold pizzas from open-air stands and out-of-pizza bakeries, which stopped on 1830. A number of modern-day establishments try to keep that tradition alive.

7. There may be many varieties of the modern pizza, but purists only know two, namely the Marinara and the Margherita. The former has a topping of tomato, oregano, garlic and extra virgin olive oil, while the latter has modest amounts of tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil. Most Italians prefer the two.

8. There are many famous pizzerias in Naples, found in the historical center, such as Port'Alba, Di Matteo, and Trianon. They have strict rules on how to make a Neapolitan pizza. A true connoisseur have been to this part of Italy.