The World revolving around Pizza
Pizza is undoubtedly one of the most famous dishes in the world. This simple and yet delicious dish is nothing more than a pie, a tomato sauce, some cheese, and a personal choice of toppings.
- Photo by Sydney Troxell from Pexels
Despite having so few main ingredients, it’s quite difficult to make pizza at home. No to mention making it taste like it came from a restaurant. The genuine, Italian pizza made in a small, family restaurant on the outskirts of Naples is, even more, a rare, legendary, and luxurious commodity only for those who make the effort to travel there.
So, how did it all start?
The history of pizza
The first kind of pizza-like dish dates back to antiquity when Romans made a panis focacius (also known as focaccia - a pie of flat, oven-baked bread) and added a variety of toppings to it. French and Italian archaeologists found traces of oven-baked bread with toppings made by Sardinians over 7,000 years ago.
- Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels
The flatbread is not necessarily an Italian invention. There are several, similar flatbreads from around the world. Some of those are:
- Farl made in Ireland and Scotland
- Flammkuchen made in Germany
- Tarte Flambée from France
- Flatkaka from Island
- Podpłomyk in Poland
- Lavash in Armenia
- Bolani of Afghanistan
...and a lot of similar bread types in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
The pizza, as we know it today, started back in the 18th century, when tomatoes were no longer considered poisonous after being brought to Europe from America, the poor people of Naples started adding it to their flatbread. By the end of the 18th century, a tomato-flavored flatbread gained popularity as it became a tourist attraction.
There’s also a popular tale that tells the story of how Pizza Margherita gained its name. In 1889, Pizzeria Brandi’s chef - Raffaele Esposito, and his wife made a pizza resembling the colors of the Italian flag (red tomatoes, white mozzarella, and green basil). They served it to the visiting Queen Margherita of Savoy and named it after her.
- Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/cheese-close-up-cooking-crispy-263041/
As Pizza Margherita became the most famous pizza, it also became the base for a lot of other common varieties of pizza.
Varieties of pizza
The most iconic type, apart from the aforementioned Margherita, is called Napoletana. The sauce, traditionally used in Napoletana, is made from San Marzano tomatoes grown on the volcanic areas south of Mount Vesuvius with Mozzarella di Bufala on top, which is made from milk of local buffalos. Its unique taste attracts massive amounts of tourists from all over the globe straight to the city, from which this pizza has its name - Naples.
Another popular type of traditional Italian pizza is called Pizza Alla Marinara. The story tells it’s the oldest type of pizza, named after a seaman’s wife - “la marinara”, that made this pizza each time he returned from the sea. It consists of tomatoes, oregano, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil - a perfect pizza after a long journey!
- Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels
Other popular varieties of traditional Italian pizza are Capricciosa (mozzarella, baked ham, mushrooms, artichoke, tomatoes) and Pugliese (mozzarella, onions, tomatoes, and sometimes topped with sundried tomatoes).
- Photo by ROMAN ODINTSOV from Pexels
Some pizza types are causing mixed feelings and are a subject of quite funny, controversial arguments. Of course, I am talking about the infamous Hawaiian pizza. It’s a sweeter type of pizza thanks to the pineapple and ham found on top. It was first made in Canada.
- Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/dinner-fast-food-lunch-meal-3644/
Other places around the world have their own unique types. Those include:
- Pizza with banana topping commonly found in Iceland and Sweden
- In Russia, some local, high-class ingredients are used, mainly caviar, salmon, beef fillets, and truffles
- In China, you may find pizzas with crab sticks, tuna, soy sauce, and corn.
- In India, it’s common to include some spicier toppings, like pickled ginger, tandoori chicken, paneer, and oregano spice, instead of an Italian classic - parmesan
- In Indonesia, you will find spicy hot Balado chili pepper pizzas, spicy and savory beef rendang pizzas, and beef or chicken satay pizzas with peanut sauce
As you may already have guessed, most other countries have some varieties of pizzas with toppings associated with those countries’ cuisine. The perfect example would be a famous Mexicana with minced beef, jalapenos, onions, and corn.
Similar dishes
Some dishes somewhat resemble pizza with the ingredients used, the dough, or purely by looks. Those include, but are not limited to Calzone - a folded pizza with toppings inside, Stromboli - rolled around a filling, the aforementioned Flammekueche - a thin dough with crème fraîche, onions and bacon, pizza bagel - a bagel with popular pizza toppings like mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, pepperoni, chorizo. Another, unusual and fancy type found mainly in Naples, is called Pizza Fritta. It’s a calzone-like folded pizza deep-fried in oil.
Summary
So, as the Journey’s song goes - “Any Way You Want It”, everyone will find a pizza with their favorite toppings. You may want to travel around the world, and while you’re at it, go and try some unique pizzas out there. Or just try to make one yourself. All you have to do is learn to make a perfect pizza pie, a nice tomato sauce (or other red or white sauce), throw in some cheese, and now, off you go with your imagination.
As a bonus, I will post a link to the YouTube video by Polish chef, Tomasz Strzelczyk, explaining how to make a pizza at home. There’s a ton of recipes on the internet, but that one is tested and approved by me.
Questions:
- What do you think, how and why did the pizza - a simple pie with toppings, gain so much popularity? There are other, simple dishes (e.g. pasta, risotto) that are not so popular, and yet you may add your own, favorite ingredients to them.
- Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
- Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
Comments
In my opinion it is the same factor that comes with burgers or rollo kebab and others, food that you can eat with hands tastes better. It is quite hard to eat pasta with sauce and not get dirty in the process, with what I mentioned is far different. I've seen it with myself but friends aswell, it simple trick to make something better but many people ignore it. Another factor would be the possibilites of toppings as pizza is easily module based when you can add and discard stuff.
2. Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
Yes, I tried even the one with banana in Warsaw. There is a pizzeria on Barska street that serves it. Very good in my opinion. On the other I eat propably most of that are easily accessed in Poland.
3. Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
Yes, but usually I buy the dough and make more like rectangle like as it is far easier when you don't have much time to spent on it. I want to learn why day and make my own spelt dough for the pizza.
I like Italian cuisine with their pasta, pizza, risotto, lasagne, tortellini, different kinds of cheese and so on. There are no such Italian dishes which I have tasted and did not like. The great advantage is that this cuisine is not hard for cooking and there are a lot of Italian restaurants in the world. And I think just because pizza is a simple pie with toppings it has gained so much popularity. As you have mentioned in the presentation, you can add almost all different toppings to meet everyone`s tastes. It can depend on the nationality and traditions. And if comparing pizza with pasta/risotto, I think, pizza is more simple even in eating. You can eat it with your hands while watching the film in bed, while risotto needs more formality. And it is also easier to divide pizza with your friends.
2.Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
Yes, I have heard about classic varieties of pizza like Napoletana, Capricciosa, Hawaiian and Calzone. But I didn`t know about banana pizza in Sweden, sounds interesting to try. I have also tried pizza with ginger, tangerines, pear and gorgonzola. The last one is very delicious.
3.Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
Yes, I sometimes cook home pizza with my mother. We use classic ingredients like tomatoes, cheese, pepperoni and olives. And it is always tasty for us.
I love gorgonzola! I definitely have to try pizza with those toppings!
Unfortunately I didn't know about any of mentioned varietes and toppings. I must admit, that pizza is not my favourite meal, I eat it rarely, so as a result I'm not quite interested in new pizza types.
No unfortunately not, as I expect preparing oven ready pizzas does not count in that case :)
The popularity of pizza does not seem strange to me. The variety of preparation and the possibility of toppings can change this dish beyond recognition. Just like a sandwich, you can prepare a pizza in many different ways and still call it pizza.
I won't try to fool anyone, pizza is my favorite food. I know a lot about it and have tried different versions from many parts of the world. Always on vacation I try local delicacies with particular emphasis on pizza. From those mentioned in the article, I did not eat only the one popular in Russia. I personally did not like the pineapple pizza, but at the same restaurant in Sweden, I also had a pizza with kebab meat. It may not sound like a great gastronomic discovery, but it is surprisingly popular in the Nordic countries.
I make my own pizza regularly. I made my first pizza when I was 7 years old. Since then, I have learned a lot and often friends ask me to prepare the ingredients needed to make my pizza for a party. Something that many people forget is that you can buy a ready-made canned tomato sauce, which in quality and taste is as good as handmade by a native Italian. It is also very important to use special pizza stones when we cannot use a coal-fired stone oven. Pizza dough is definitely a topic for a separate long article :)
I think it comes from simplicity. It boils down to the dough and toppings. Maybe rice wasn't so accessible or pasta is harder to make.
The pizza was a dish of the poor. The popularity of it has to come from the accessibility and cheapness of the ingredients. It is also easy to share with your friends or family!
Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
I don't like experimenting with pizza topics and I'm not a fan of mentioned styles. Especially the banana one seems weird!
Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
No, I haven't, but my grandma has been making pizza since I remember and it is pretty good. She taught herself to do it when she was working as a housewife in Greece. One of my great childhood memories is the smell which spread around the house.
From the variations of pizza that you have mentioned, I think I only have tried the one with banana topping. When I travel to other countries, I prefer to taste their native and common dishes, so naturally for most of them pizza isn’t the one that I would go for. I have, however, tried the Israeli pizza, as I had spent some time there and wanted a break from falafel and pita. Israeli pizza usually consist of cheese, eggplant, avocado and fresh cilantro. I’ve also recently tried the deep dish pizza, that originates from Chicago. It’s baked in the pan and has characteristically high edges, with dough layers inside. I highly recommend you to try it! It completely changes the pizza experience.
I used to be nervous when making pizza, because I have always thought that I should be making it like a professional pizza maker, throwing the dough in the air and finishing it in 30 seconds. After many years of practice, I’m still not able to do it, however, I don’t feel that pressure anymore. I prepare the dough couple hours beforehand, so I can quickly prepare the rest in under 10 minutes whenever I feel hungry. I also often use the rolling pin to roll out the dough evenly, that way I don’t have to worry about stretching the dough too much. As goes for toppings, my favorite would be passata with herbs, mozzarella, red onion, mushrooms and corn. I try to make it also with ingredients that I have laying around in the fridge, that way it helps me to discover new tastes and use up all the things I’ve bought and not waste any of them. I have also came with a special pizza for Halloween this way, I made it from spaghetti pumpkin, beets and rosemary.
I really don't like to do experience with pizza and also don't want to taste weird flavor like fruit flavor no. I can moderate with some ingredients but not with flavor.
Yes, I do make pizza but I really don't like to make it often because of ingredients but I could share my experience as I am an Indian I really like to add black paper and chilli flakes top of the pizza make it in my own way some cheese deeps and it take my heart. I really like margherita pizza the classic one. And y'all I agree we Indians have some flavoured pizza like pizza with toppings paneer, tandoori chicken, ginger, capsicums,olives and so on.
I think it has mainly to do with how tasty pizza can be, and the toppings can make a really huge difference in the taste of the pizza, so it's a type of dish that is hard to get bored of.
2.
I think I've eaten each traditional style of pizza (margharita, neapolitana, cappriciosa), but also tried some weird ones, like beetroot, pineapple, pumpkin or eggs and spinach.
3.
Yes, but rarely because an oven is required for that and I don't have one in my apartment.
Mmmm, deep-dish Chicago pizza, I have to have one this weekend! That Israeli variant sounds delicious as well! I'll definitely try it when I'll have the opportunity.
Thanks for sharing the idea of a Halloween pizza!
2. Maybe I haven't heard of all these compositions, but it didn't surprise me at all. The idea of making a pizza is that we add what we want or what is at hand, and still it will turn out very good.
3. No, I have never tried to make my own pizza, but in my home there is often preparation by the household. I just eat: P
I believe that pizza has gained such popularity due to the fact that you can put anything you like on it. You can put a different ingredient that you want to eat in each place. In Poland, we have Podpłomyk instead of pizza. The basis was water and flour, which was used to make the dough, and then everything that could be found in the refrigerator was added to it. In addition, I think that a big plus is that the pizza can be shared and we can order such a pizza with friends and have a good time together. It is very nice.
2. Yes, I've tried many of them, the weirdest was with clams and octopuses. I tried it in Italy. Very interesting flavors.
3.Yes, I make my pizzas a lot. I believe that it is very good and I offer it to everyone whenever I have the opportunity. My favorite pizza is peperoni.
As I love pizza, i think I've treid out every possible topping, not in every possible combination though. There are many regional pizza toppings that are not listed (listing them all would be impossible) like polish mauntain cheese (oscypek).
I've made my own pizza couple of times and I might have some tips to share. First, use less dough than it seems reasonable. Every time when I use reasonable amount of dhough, pie ended up being huge and bloated. Another tip is to use tomato sauce between dough and toppings, many people forgets about it. Aaand thats it. Key is to do it couple of times to achieve perfection.
I think that pizza is far more superior to pasta. Personally, I'm not a big fan of pasta or any other type of noodles, eating them is too messy and the taste itself doesn't compensate the effort of eating it. Pizza on the other hand has delicious crust, eating it is so easy! The salty, crunchy crust is a perfect base for delicious toppings, and it tastes good with almost anything.
2.Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
I've heard about most of those varieties and toppings, most of them sound too bizarre to even try. I've tried pizza with chocolate and banana once and absolutely hated it. Seafood on pizza is also not my cup of tea, I find it too salty and watery. The most bizarre pizza I've ever eaten must be the one I've tried in Tunisia- its edges were filled with minced beef. It was an interesting experience, but I wouldn't eat it again.
3.Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
I've tried making my own pizza several times. Unfortunately, every time I try to make one the crust turns out hard. I'm also lacking in skills of making the good pizza sauce. Trying to make pizza is fun but after all these failed efforts I'd rather order one from the restaurant.
I think that luck did a lot when it comes to that subject. Besides from the fact that it tastes great and it's very flexible with toppings it had to be popular among proper people at first and after that others just followed. There are many other dishes which could have been as popular as pizza is but had not enough luck. I think that pizza was in the right place at the right time.
Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
I have heard about many unusual pizzas but I am not the type of person who would try those. Banana pizza is a fun idea in my opinion and that's great that someone came up with that. I am, however, a more traditional pizza eater and I would rather taste some good variations of the classics rather than tasting something silly.
Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
Yes, I have and I was very proud of the result. At first pizza came out a little bit raw but after some times and many tries I finally managed to bake one which was perfect. At least in my opinion. It was a prosciutto pizza but I added some olives on top and it was as good as home pizza can be.
I think that, apart from it's simple and one of a kind form, an extensive process of commercialization made pizza so popular around the world. As mentioned in the article, it all started in 18th century when pizza became a tourist attraction. I suppose that, as a result, pizza has ventured to many parts of the world far from it's homeland. Then different variations of pizza started to exist. During mass imigration to America, Italians brought their dish with them, what resulted in developing American style pizza, which led to establishing big, commercial pizza-making restaurants such as Pizza Hut. Pizza has travelled a long way since it's beginnings, from a local delicacy to a globally recognized symbol of fast foods.
2. Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
I am well aware that there are multiple, unorthodox varieties of topping sets. However I have never tried any, besides the Hawaiian pizza which I enjoy. The one type of topping which was not mentioned in the article is blue cheese. For me a mix of blue cheese and good type of mozzarella, buffala for instance, is the best set. Paired up with spicy salami, it makes the perfect pizza for me.
3. Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
I have, but unfortunately making my own dough was a lot trickier that I initially thought. The pizza wasn't bad, but it was harder than a rock.
I don't have a concrete idea why pizza is so popular, but it can be all about accident. There are a lot of things around the world which are common, and nobody knows why. Maybe it's all about the way how pizza looks, tastes. Moreover pizza's making process is fast and simple, so the simplicity also may play a role.
2. Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
I don't eat pizza very often, but yes, I know some pizza varieties and toppings. I've tried Margherita and Capricciosa from mentioned types. I know about one extra type, but I don't remember it's name. I ate it one year ago during winter holidays in Italy. It was made by indigenous Italian in local pizzeria. Amazing climate, friendly staff and of course taste embedded it in my memory.
3. Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
No, I haven't tried to do it on my own, but my family used to do it few times. Mostly taste was good, but unfortunately it didn't reach top level.
As you have your base dough, you can add essentialy any ingredient and make pizza your own.
For me, bread makes so that the dish plays better with a wider range of additions.
Indeed, I have heard about some of the mentioned pizza kinds.
Especially, I would love to taste one of the Asian pizza variations.
However, the array of choices makes it difficult for me to decide on a particular set of ingredients.
At some point in my life, I started making my own pizza.
The first ones, were complete failures.
However, eventually it started to look better and finally I would cook excellent product.
My advice would be to postpone making deep dish pizza until you are more experienced.
And remember, even pizza needs love :)
As you have written, there are many variations of pizza so more people can eat it because it is more likely to be tasty for everyone.
I knew how Margherita was made, I heard about some of the variants (it is hard not to know about Hawaiian pizza). I have never heard of banana pizza, but I don't think I want to try it.
Pizza with caviar and truffles sounds very encouraging, but I'm afraid that the price of such a pizza is similar to a cheap used car. One pizzeria serves pizza with fried chicken and it is excellent.
I have tried to make pizza at home several times. Making good dough is the most difficult part. At the very beginning the dough after baking was not crispy but soft. Then the dough was baked too much. It turned out that mozzarella, which was not drained well, makes the pizza very wet after baking. Making pizza sounds simple, but there are many key moments that make the pizza either delicious or inedible
I think that pizza is so popular because there is no one particular type, everyone can create their own set of ingredients, it is easy to prepare and available in many places. Its preparation is simple and does not take much time.
Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
To be honest i dont have any opinion.
Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
Yes, many times I tried to make my own pizza. Most often I use recipes that are available on the Internet, I do not have a favorite recipe.
2.I have heard about most of them, others could imagine. You can do any pizza you want, so there is no surprise for me.
3. Yeah, I have. In fact, at my parent's home, there is a special device to make the dough so the pizza's cooking process becomes easier because of this. In fact, there was a funny situation when I decided to make a pizza in the middle of the night (my parents weren't at home) but during the process, there was a blackout, so I just ordered pizza instead. And when the courier was near my house, the electricity returned. So I finished my own pizza too. The result was a huge amount of pizza.
Honestly I think it's all about that it has a possibility to become literally anything. Depends on the topping it can become a pizza, a not edible thing, an art or even other dish. Pizza itself is just delicius. We can put anything on it and I think people like to have such a variety while picking something that is the same but different.
2. Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
Yeah i knew about these topping, well at least most of them. In some cases I just didn't know the names.
3. Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
I'm baking a pizza like every week or two and it always works out! But I'm always making the traditional one means traditional pie and topping. I'd love to try making deep dish pizza. It looks and taste amazing yet i think it needs special technique to make. I think I will check it out!
I think it is not only about simple dish. You can have a lot of variations of pizza. You can have sweet toppings, spicy or even with specific taste like "kebab pizza". Some of them are not populary in Itally but at the end everyone can find their favourite pizza arround the world and maybe this was the crucial reason of popularity. The fact is you can't change taste of pasta or risotto in that many ways.
2. Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
As i mentioned there is so many variations of pizza. You can expect any possible toppings. I think i didn't try pizza with seafood and i am not convinced to do that in close future.
3. Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
I didn't or maybe i did if Giuseppe counts. ;)
My mom know how to do great pizza. I think it is important to find good recipe and just practice. If on the first time it will sucks you can try to improve something and in the third or fourth it will be great.
I have not this about it before. It is indeed odd that pizza got so much popularity these days in contrast to other simple dishes. I believe that maybe being from Italy popularized the dish somehow. People know that Italian food is amazing, so when they eat dish that supposed to be Italian it influenced theirs consciousness.
2. Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
I know those toppings I eat them all the time, even not at the pizza. I eat them with macaroni and sometimes I decorate my sandwich with them inside of it.
3. Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
I have tried to make my own pizza, but I have followed the instructions presented in some youtube video how to make one. It did not turn very good. I could say it was eatable, but I did not eat any of it myself. My brother eat the pizza, since he has really poor taste anyway.
2. Yes, I tried pizza with almost all of those toppings. One with seafood is not bad though, only have to add some dark olives and lemon to it. My favorite pizza will be simple capricciosa though, if I sprinkle a bit of dark pepper on it will always remind me of that pizza from childhood in one of the few restaurants that served this dish back in the days.
3. Yes, when we were poor in these cruel 00-s in Ukraine we had to make our own pizza, because it a luxury product for my family. That pizza didn't really resemble italian pizza, it even had canned peas, sausage and God knows what else. It was still tasty.
2. I’ve heard about some of these unusual toppings and varieties but I’ve never tried any of them. Probably I would like to try some for example the one with tandoori chicken from India, but for now I am good with Italian classics.
3. I’ve made my own pizza a few times. The best one was made by my boyfriend and me. He prepared pizza crust from some Italian recipe and it was delicious. Of course it will never taste the same as the one from pizzeria, but to make it you’d to have a special wood burning stove.
I think that pizza has it's fame because of it's uniqueness with adding whatever you like, you can make pizza with literally EVERYTHING. I also think that time of preparation is worth mentioning because, if you are starting with already prepared dough, it onluy takes about 15-20 minutes. Also making dough is really simple.
Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
I'm a total pizza-head, I tried almost every combination and variations. The topping I personally think is the best combination of flavours and textures is blue cheese, pineapple and jalapeno, ypu have to try it..
Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
Yup, I'm making pizza at least once a week. It always tastes great and it's not only my opinion. :p My tips: dough needst to lay at least 10hours, souce has to be made from fresh tomatoes and the oven has to very very hot ( in my case it's 250'C for 15minutes).
1. What do you think, how and why did the pizza - a simple pie with toppings, gain so much popularity? There are other, simple dishes (e.g. pasta, risotto) that are not so popular, and yet you may add your own, favourite ingredients to them.
For me, the answer is pretty clear. The base of the pizza is a wheat bun. Simple but when it is freshly made taste like heaven. Another simple but so delicious ingredient is tomato sauce. Simple, tasteful you can’t go wrong with that one. Finally the Queen of our dish.. cheese! Loads of fat and tasty ingredients! Moreover, pizza is made for sharing. You can order it for a party and everyone will eat it.
2.Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them?
I haven’t heard about banana topping on pizza before. I would definitely try this one.
Other weird pizza toppings I ate were definitely chocolate. I liked it together because it was all sweet.
3. Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
I tried to make pizza serval times. Mostly it went delicious!
I think the most important thing in making pizza is a good quality of flour! Unfortunately, the flour that is available in shops is actually bad quality and you cannot make good pizza from it.
A hard question to start with - the origin of the popularity of pizza, uhh... I think it's about the combination of the core ingredients that just happened to be enjoyed by the majority of the human kind. More people seem to enjoy baked, crusty pie than a subtle pasta or a complex risotto. Pizza, as pretty much any other dish, can be a sophisticated masterpiece, but in it's "generic", mass-produced form, it's way less complex than those two other dishes (pasta and risotto), so I think it's a combination of luck and convenience.
I think I have tried most of the pizzas you posted in the article, except for the rarer ones like the banana-topped one or the chinese one. I really like to experiment with pizza, but in order to do so, I prefer to visit trusted restaurants. Experimenting with pizza in a place which is, again, an experiment to visit by itself, may turn out pretty nasty. In terms of pizza kinds that were not mentioned, I am quite a fan of the subtle 4 cheese pizza (assuming that the proportions are right - it's easy to include too much cheese of one kind whose taste is going to overpower the rest). When done right, it's a fairly complex in tase pizza that balanced together well.
I have not tried to make my own pizza, but I helped with making one! During some parties that I attended, some of my friends were making pizzas. Mostly they knew what were they doing, so I stuck with just preparing ingredients for them.
I think that such a very ordinary dish as pizza has reached its popularity because it can be prepared in a great number of ways and will always taste good anyway. What's more, pizza is rather recognized as a 'cheat meal' because it's not one of the healthiest dishes, and you know what's forbidden tastes best. Another important issue that may affect the popularity of pizza is that it is very fast and nutritious.
2.Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
I think I've heard about most of these toppings, but I would rather not eat them. Personally, I'm putting on the principle: the less the better.
3.Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
I have made my pizza so many times and I think it was very tasty. I like to make classic pizza: tomato sauce + cheese. However, when I really celebrate then I make 4 cheeses pizza, it is delicious.
Hmm, I don’t know to be honest. I am a pizza lover, I mean who does t like pizza? But I don’t know why it is so popular. I’m cheese lover so in my case everything with cheese on top is good. I think that pizza is easy to make and really “handy”. By that I mean that you can buy a simple slice of pizza on the go and eat that in rush as a lunch or something. Pizza is working miracles on parties, when you can just order few pizzas, put them on the table and everyone would catch a slice or two for themselves, without making the dishes and the like. Also pizza is quite cheap and you can find it everywhere, so it is often a “safe meal”, because everybody will find something for themselves, and even for the hard ones there is always a classic Margherita with just some cheese and sauce. ;)
Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
I’ve tried few of them. I didn’t have a chance to try this one with bananas on top, but I will work on it. My grandma once made pizza with carrots and pickles, in my opinion this pizza should have its own place in hell, but my lovely grandma is convinced that it was legit recipe someone in Italy gave her. My guess is that she was tricked, but I can’t be mad at her, she has a pure heart so it’s not hard to do.
Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
Of course I tried! I love home made food, and pizza is one of my all time favorites! In my case it’s sometimes working out, sometimes not. The key to good pizza is sauce. Even though you failed with the dough, sauce is correcting it perfectly. I don’t have a simple recipe, in most cases I make pizza with the ingredients that my heart desires in that particular moment. ;) My favorite one is with some rucola, cherry tomatoes, a little blue cheese, PARMESAN CHEESE!!, and some dry meat (I don’t use it, bc I don’t eat meat), instead of it I choose another vegetable, like pepper or olives, or something fancy, when I have it at the moment ;)
I think the reason for that is simplicity and variety. Doing pizza is not a hard work (if you can do it) and it is not time consuming. Therefore, it is a perfect fast food, it is cheap to make and if done properly it tastes amazing. I think it is more popular than pasta, risotto because it is greasier (so usually tastes better) and it is easier to transport. During delivery, many dishes can go bad but pizza even if gets cold you can just reheat it in an oven and it will be fine.
2. Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
Of course I knew about popular ones but I did not hear about pizza topping from India and Indonesia, those seem a little bit extreme for my tongue. I tried classic ones like Marinara and my personal favourite is Hawaian (please don’t hate me for that). I tried (and liked) pizza which is made with pear, goat cheese, arugula and sometimes with walnuts. If you do not sweet and salty combination do not try that one! Otherwise, I can recommend it.
3. Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
I tried a few times and it turned out fine but it tasted worse than from restaurant (better than from network chain though!). Sadly, I do not have that much experience to share any ideas.
I think the reason is you can easily share it with friends. So you have invited friends or family to your place. You might consider a food delivery option. And the first thing you have in mind is pizza. It is easy to share, has lots of options for all diets ever existed. And you don’t really need plates forks and knives to eat it. Pizza boxes and napkins, which usually come in the kit, should be enough.
2. Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
Yes, I did. I tried seafood pizza. And I did not like it. In my opinion the best pizza is a classic one Capricciosa.
3. Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
I did and it worked out. The only thing is, the dough should be pretty thin. So my advice is to find a good recipe for dough or just to buy a ready one in the supermarket.
The answer to this question is probably very complex. The taste qualities are definitely worth mentioning first. There aren't many people who don't like pizza. It is a simple and easily digestible dish for most people. The ease of serving certainly had a big impact on the popularity of the pizza. We do not need special cutlery, plates, etc. Just bring the pizza and grab it with your hand. Behind the success of the pizza is its versatility. We can serve pizza to guests regardless of the occasion. In addition, pizza allows unlimited personalization options for additives and spices. It is a dish without any flaws. Although the philosophy of making pizza is simple, making a delicious pizza is already an art. That is why some pizzerias enjoy such a reputation.
2.Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
I heard about some of the pizza variants presented in the article, but most of them I didn't have a chance to eat. I haven't had a chance to experiment with toppings in pizza. Most often I choose the classic variants such as salami, pepperoni or Hawaiian but with a small amount of pineapple ;) For me, the most important thing is that the dough is crispy. Fresh additives such as cheese, ham and mushrooms are equally important.
3.Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to make pizzas myself. My mom once made a pizza and the pizza was pretty good, but the best pizzerias makes it better. Making pizza can be a fun way to integrate family members and do some activities together.
I think there are some reasons, first of all, it is pretty easy to make pizza on your own, you can use various ingredients and prepere pizza in various ways. Moreover pizza is easy to deliver, and share with friends.
Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
I’ve tried few of them. Pizza with seafood, pineapple, "Oscypek" with cranberry. There are so many varieties and i think pizza can suprise me yet.
Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
Yes of course, not once. Yes, it worked out, maybe not like in restaurant, but it was eatable :) I'm huge fan of pizza so i try to improve my skills, and i think i'm on a good way to be Master Chef. Cooking makes me pleasure and i like to prepare new dishes.
I've heard about the other perspective about the popularity of pizza. Not sure who spilled the tea for me and I haven't actually done a proper fact-check on it, but it was a very believable perspective on the topic.
What I've heard is that pizza carbonara, at least in its current state and with the name "carbonara" was a government answer to economic collapse in between war times, early XX century. It was cheap to produce, fulfilling and all the ingredients were widely accessible, even in crisis times.
So basically, what back in the days was considered an emergency food for poor society now became a symbol of Italian food as a whole. I also don't mind paying for "poor pizza" a full price at the restaurant, but that unique insight I mentioned changed my perspective a bit.
2. Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
Yes, I know most of them. I really like uncommon combinations (and uncommon in meaning far from its Italian origin), like pineapple and ham or seafood as the topping.
I think there was one more post about pizza recently on our blog and as I did there, I'll also do it here, I'm a huge fan of the full-meat version of pizza, just a mix of all variants of meat. It blends nicely all together and fits perfectly to tomato sauce, commonly used as a base for pizza.
3. Have you ever tried to make your pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
Ah, never, it always seemed too overwhelming to prepare a proper pie for it. I think that would be a great date scenario but I and my partner always turned out to be too lazy and picked easier recipes. My kitchen is just too small to get creative and ambitious :)
I think that pizza has gained such popularity because it is cheap to create and at the same time access to the ingredients is very easy. Additionally, we can modify the top of the pizza the way we like it, so it gives a lot of room to show off. Nowadays, most of us enjoy good memories of pizza, such as meeting with friends, which is why we reach for it so often.
2. Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
Of course, I had the opportunity to try practically most of them. I know there is a lot of confusion about pizza with sweet toppings such as the mention of a banana. I didn't eat that, but I did eat Hawaiian with pineapple which I like very much and which has many enemies :)
3. Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
Yes, I have tried and it is not as simple as it may seem. Very often it comes out too hard for me, because I'm afraid not to bake it so that the dough is too soft. Anyway, I would like to try baking deep pizza. A lot of cheese. I love cheese.
2. Yes Sir, I tried a lot of them, but still I’m looking for new perfections. I guess there so much combinations which I didn’t try yet 😊
3. First home made pizza was creating with my grandma, there were 2 kinds of them :
1)We bought bread from shop and put there a lot of toppings which was tasty but it wasn’t really nice.
2)We made bread for our own, also make sause and cheesy sides which was sooo delicious 😊
The first thing that comes to my mind is that pizza is simply delicious and easy to make, it's hard to make a bad pizza. Other than that, I think that it's so popular because you can eat it with any toppings you want.
2.Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
I've heard about most of the toppings in the article. I've tried the classics, like Hawaiian or Capricciosa, but I haven't tried 'unique' toppings, especially the ones with seafood, I don't like seafood on pizza.
3.Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
I make my own pizza regularly, it's a great way to use all the remaining ingredients in your fridge.
I have heard about many, not popular, or unusual toppings. Personally, I love pizza with pineapple, and I have also tried pizza with many other fruits or with eggs, sea food, etc. It’s really good and if you like any of these tastes, you should try pizza with them. Like you said, you can add any ingredient and it will just taste good!
I do! I make my own pizza really often. At first, it didn’t go perfect, but after a few times it started to become really good. I made it a few times for my family and friends and they really liked it! If you want any tips, I would recommend you to make it really thin, and mix tomato concentrate with ketchup! It’s my secret ingredient.
I think it is because it is quite simple to make. It has many varieties so basically everyone can find something they like. Also it is because there are so many things that you can call pizza f.e. the one with cauliflower bottom. I also think that base pizza ingredients are just something that most people like and they match with many other ingredients. Tomato sauce is very neutral and almost everyone like cheese and pizza dough.
2. Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
Yes I know few of them. Basically I like all forms and shapes of pizza but my favourite is probably Neapolitan one. There are many restaurants in Warsaw that make exceptional Neapoletan style pizza. The one I never tried and that is not mentioned here is deep dish Chicago pizza that is upside down. Tomato sauce layer is the top one and the cheese is between dough and the sauce. I don't know if you can give it a try in Warsaw
3. Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
I tried to make but but only out of readymade dough that you can buy in any market. It was okay but it is obvious that if I made it myself it would have been much better.
2. Yes, I have heard mostly about sweet pizzas, they are so popular that you can sometimes find them in pizzerias as single position. Once I managed to make such sweet pizza with nuts, chocolate, banana
3. In the first and second years of college, I earned some extra money as bartender in pizzeria, so I'm familiar with making pizza. I believe that the key to success is correct dough and baking method. Additionally, thick crust pizza is not that clogging so it gains in my eyes
Interesting thought. I never thouht why pizza is so much more popular than anything mentioned. I guess that pizza grown its popularity when Americans made it as a fast food. Then it was like national american dish and then I think that movies and TV shows made it popular across the world. I even heard that pizza is now becoming national polish dish, because (I don't remember numbers from the study exactly) around 70% of Poles are eating pizza at least once a week, and "pizzeria" is the most popular type of restaurant in Poland.
Did you know about those mentioned varieties and toppings? Did you try some of them? Are there other types that you know that were not mentioned?
Yes, I have tried a lot of pizza varietes. My favourite is margharita though. I also very like Pepperoni pizza.
Have you ever tried to make your own pizza? Did it work out? Maybe you’d like to share some ideas?
No, not really. But I have a friend that makes most amazing pizza ever. She uses a stone for making it, I think that's why it tastes so good.