Pizza - A Questionable History

What is the real history of pizza? Who knows! ThereOne teaspoon crushed garlic or to taste.
are lots of good guesses. However I found no InternetOne quarter cup chopped parsley
consensus. Maybe Italy, maybe Greece, maybe Eygpt.One tablespoon fresh mint leaves finely chopped
I am sure every culture wrestles with it's own claim toOne tablespoon tomato paste
pizza fame. For me, I can imagine a cavemanOne half teaspoon each paprika and allspice.
flattening out a bread textured mushroom or gourdSalt and pepper
with his club to make a 'plate', slapping down someOne portion of ready made pizza dough .
pieces of bloody game and a few leaves, maybe( Or you can find a from scratch recipe anywhere on
topping with some curdled goats milk and throwing itthe web or cookbook. But why work so hard?)
on the fire to heat up. He would eat the whole thingDivide into 12 balls and flatten into 6-7 inch discs. Place
and call it good. And where did this caveman reside?the discs on a lightly greased baking sheet and let rise
Chicago? Italy? Armenia? Surely there must be anslightly. Then spread the meat sauce over each disc
undiscovered sketch of the first pizza carved in a rockcoming close but not up to the edge. Bake at 375
somewhere. Or a yet-to-be found fossilized pepperonidegrees 25 - 35 minutes.
supreme buried in a tomb.Here's a quick and easy veggie pizza recipe.
Well, whatever, it was interesting to read about theTwo packages of dinner rolls. Unroll and place flat on a
various forms of pizza and of some of the toppingbaking sheet folding up the edges to form a crust
origins. Some traced the first pizzas to early Greeceedging. Bake for about 7 minutes and cool.
where they topped pita bread with assorted foods likeTopping:
goat cheese and olives; others wrote of Italians finallyTwo eight ounce packages of cream cheese
getting up the courage to taste the tomato. Up untilsoftened with three quarter cup salad dressing and
about the 16th century Italians thought tomatoes wereone quarter cup skim milk, one teaspoon dillweed and
poisonous. I wonder who they got to try the first one?one teaspoon of basil. Garlic salt to taste.
A Pagan?Spread the mixed ingredients over the cooled crust.
In this country it is generally accepted historically thatCut up broccoli, cauliflower, onions, green and red bell
Gennaro Lombardi opened the first pizzeria in Newpeppers, carrots and black olives and sprinkle over top.
York City in 1895. And that Chicago reigns supremePress this into the cheese topping slightly. Add some
with the invention of the deep dish pizza.grated Romano and Parmesan cheese and bake in
But another pizza style that is often overlooked, andthe lower portion of your oven for 10 minutes or so.
wonderful is the Armenian meat pie. It is close to aEtiquette tip: Amy Vanderbilt says that while eating
meat covered pizza, but without a dripping sauce. Youpizza with a fork and knife is ok, generally you can just
can find these pies ready-made in LA, San Franciscogo for it and use your hands, that's what they're there
and New York. Here follows a recipe to make somefor. But use a napkin and forget using the tablecloth.
yourself.Wines that go good with pizza?
Armenian Meat Pie.Chardonnay, Beaujolais, and Chianti go well with
Filling:cheese pizzas.
Combine:Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris or White Zinfandel with
One pound of lean ground beef.pepperoni.
One large can of whole tomatoes crushed andChardonnay or Syrah with sausage or mushroom and
drained.onion.
One medium yellow onion finely choppedSauvignon Blanc with veggie pizza
One small green bell pepper seeded and finelySauvignon Blanc or Reisling with Hawaiian.
chopped.We prefer ice cold beer on tap. Sorry.