Pizza*
Pizza was created by Raffaele Esposito of Napoli. In 1889, Raffaele baked pizza especially for the visit of Italin King Umberto 1 and Queen Margherita. One pizza was patriotic and had the colors of the Italin flag. It had red(tomatoes), white(mozzarelle), and green(basil). Margherita. That's why this pizza is named Pizza Margherita after the queen.
The idea of using bread came from the Greeks, who ate round bread backed with many toppings. The tomatoes came from Mexico and Peru.
Did you know that during this time, people thought tomatoes were poisonous, and that true mozzarella is made from water buffalo milk?
Pizza came to America in the 19th century by the Italians. Gennparo Lombardi opened the first true U.S. pizzeria in 1905, in New York City. It wasn't until after World War II that there was a nationwide demand for pizza. In the 1950's Pizza Hut, Shakey's and other pizza parlors appeared and popularized pizza.
*piz' za, n. (lt.)-A baked pie of Italian origin consisting of a shallow bread-like crust covered with seasoned tomato sauce, cheese, and often other toppings, such as sausage or olives.