Why is it called a pizza?

Answer 1

Flat breads have been used as a palate for toppings and stuffing for much longer than "pizza" was ever thought of. Unleavened breads have been around since ancient Egypt.

By the 1700s, it was common for the poor people in Naples Italy to add tomatos or tomato paste to their flatbread to make an early form of pizza. This dish became more popular in the late 19th century when Queen Margherita made a tour of her Italian kingdom. She noticed peasants eating a large flat bread and was curious about it. Rather plain for her taste, the queen ordered Chef Rafaelle Esposito from Naples to visit the palace and make her some pizza. Rafaelle topped the pizza with tomato (red), mozzarella (white), and basil (green) to represent the three colors of the Italian flag. This became the favorite pizza of the queen and Pizza Margherita is still popular throughout the world. Various topping were used depending on the regional produce and Pizza soon spread to England, France, Spain and America in the mid twentieth century. Many European and American soldiers fighting in World War II tasted pizza for the first time and were delighted with it. More styles and flavors were developed.

Answer 2

Although pizzas have been around for a long time (some say over 2000 years) the origin of the name is unknown. Some guesses are:

• It comes from the same root as the Greek for pita bread which may have been the base for early pizzas.
• Since the dough for the base is flattened it may come from the Latin for crush "pinsa", the past participle of the verb "pinsere" .
• The Latin vocabulary also included the word "picea" which describes the toasting of the Pizza crust's bottom.
• The Italian word "pizzicare" meaning "to pull out" as pizza is pulled out of the oven
• The Aramaic word "pita" which referred to bread in general to bread in general
• The Oxford English Dictionary ties the origin to the Old High German word "bizzo" or "pizzo" which means "mouthful"

Answer 3

Wen Dan and Frank Carney set up their business in 1958 they had to borrow $600 from their mother to finance it. After buying second hand equipment and acquiring a site, they only had enough money for a sign with space for 9 letters. With the building looking like a hut and the fact they wanted the word pizza to be in the name, Pizza Hut was born!

Answer 4

The word pizza is believed to be from an Old Italian word meaning "a point," which in turn became the Italian word "pizzicare," which means "to pinch" or "pluck."

Answer 5

Pizza is Italian for pie, so pizza pie means "pie pie".

Answer 6

You have experienced an crosstalk. The Tower of Pisa is called according to the city in which it was built.