A pizza should never be eaten alone. This is a law! It’s a community dish, enjoyed in others’ company. Not to be consumed regularly, for health reasons. There are lots of variations available nowadays, and the main thing is it can be delivered to your doorstep piping hot, at which temperature it should be consumed/devoured. Nothing’s quite so disgusting as a cold pizza.

There are conflicting versions of how the pizza originated. The origin of the word "pizza" itself first appeared in Medieval Latin in 997. It meant "mouthful, bit, point or bite."

Some attribute the invention to the Greeks, others the Persians, or maybe even the Phoenicians. A flat bread was made by heating it under stones. Then it was topped or anointed with oils, herbs, spices and dates. Tomatoes were introduced later. The bread was used instead of a plate, and together with the toppings, comprised a complete meal. It was generally peasant’s food.

In 1889, Queen Margherita, when on a tour of inspection around Italy, saw peasants consuming this large circle of bread. Being unconventional and adventurous, she ordered her guards to bring her one of them to taste as a sample, and loved it.

Commoners’ food

She caused quite a stir in court, since it was considered unseemly for royals to eat commoners’ food. She then ordered the Chef, Raffaele Esposito to make her a pizza, and he obliged by producing one in the colours of the Italian flag, of red, white and green, achieved by using tomatoes, cheese and fresh basil. Raffaele was the first to add cheese to a pizza. The Pizza Margherita is on menu cards even today.

Persian soldiers in the 6^th century B.C. baked a form of bread flat on their shields and covered it with cheese and dates! Voila! A pizza! Evidence was unearthed after Mount Vesuvius erupted in Pompeii in 79AD of these flat breads with toppings. Also unearthed were shops with marble slabs and other tools to indicate an ancient pizzeria.

In 1522, tomatoes were introduced to Europe from Peru. So these then were added to the original toppings. By late 19^th century, pizzas were sold at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The simple stalls developed into pizzerias, largely situated in the open air, where people could meet, eat, drink and talk.

Mozzarella topping

Nowadays it is a very popular variety of food. There’s nothing quite like eating the hot melted cheese smothering the delicious layers underneath. The most popular cheese used for the topping is Mozzarella, which is buffalo cheese, since it melts most obligingly. There is a gourmet pizza served in an up-market restaurant in USA which costs a mere $1000! And what, might you wonder, makes it so special? The expensive toppings, of course which include, four kinds of caviar, lobster, smoked salmon on a creamy cheese sauce. One ecstatic customer exclaimed, "I find it an aphrodisiac!"

Well, it better do something jolly special at that astronomical price. There is the deep pan pizza, the thin crust pizza, the Calzone (folded into two) and the stuffed crust, to name a few. A wide variety of toppings are now available, and one can choose the composition of your very own pizza.

There is one with chocolate chips in the base and topped with ice cream, rather weird, I thought. Now specialised ones to suit palates of individual countries have been invented, like for instance the tandoori chicken one, the lamb kebab, barbecued chicken, sweet and sour pork etc.

What a hog!

A popular pizza promotion here is ‘All You Can Eat’ for a nominal value. One guy actually wolfed down 26 wedges! What a hog! A pizza is a tasty and nourishing meal anytime, and can be a lifesaver to a harassed housewife.

Or if you have unexpected guests dropping in, it is an easy solution to a delicious snack that almost everyone loves. One can get different toppings on a single pizza, for example a different one on each quarter of the dough. So you can satisfy any preferences with ease.

At a kiddies party too, you can be sure that all the pizzas will vanish in a trice. One of my friend’s caterers had totally forgotten her short eats order for her daughter’s party. She had to quickly improvise by calling a pizza delivery parlour. There were no leftovers from this one!

My kids and their friends also simply adore pizzas, so I make them quite often. The secret is in the sauce and imaginative toppings, folks! Thank you God, for this heavenly invention!

— Honky Tonk Woman