Pizza has been around almost as long as man has. As soon as man figured out that baking a grain mixture on rocks produced bread he started adding toppings to it, the pizza was born. It may not have been called pizza but it was flatbread upon which a variety of topping were placed.
The Aeneid makes mention of a flat bread that was used as a plate and then eaten and remnants of flat bread were found in the ruins of Pompeii. Pizza is nothing new, it is almost as old as time.
The discovery of the new world brought the tomato and the flatbread together in a marriage that has lasted until the current time. Most people can't imagine the two of them not being together.
Late in the 19th century, Naples became the center of the pizza universe. The Margherita Pizza was named for the Queen of Italy and was served to her by the king of pizza Neapolitan Raffaele Esposito. When Italians emigrated to the U.S. they brought their wonderful recipes with them and they have become part of everyone culinary heritage no matter where you live and what your nationality is.
What are non-Italian types of pizza? First I think we must define what an Italian pizza is. Neapolitan pizza is very different from Sicilian pizza. Sicilian pizza has a much thicker crust that is not crusty and chewy. The pieces are usually cut in squares, not slices and stand up much better as finger food. Italian pizza can be red but it can also be white, it can have meat or vegetables but it can also be quite plain. Usual meats are meatballs, sausage and pepperoni and vegetables such as onions, peppers and mushrooms are typical.
Go to almost any pizzeria in the United States and you will see many things that are not included in what is a traditional Italian pizza.
A local favorite in Connecticut is a buffalo chicken pizza, not your typical Italian pizza at all. Made with strips of white meat chicken, spicy buffalo sauce and a coating of cheese usually on a thin and chewy crust, very delicious but it is not the least bit Italian. Another favorite that is seen at many restaurants is the Hawaiian pizza. It comes in several variations, the one thing that you are guaranteed to find on the pizza is pineapple, what goes with it can be ham, bacon or Canadian bacon depending on who is offering it. It is a very addictive combination of sweet and salty.
In Quebec they serve pizza on a crust so thin it is best described as a cracker. It is called pizza and it almost looks like pizza but it is as different from the typical Italian pizza as can be. They serve it with such delights as shrimp, a Popeye which is chicken and spinach Parma ham and eggplant and other gourmet toppings. Leave it to the French Canadians to bring pizza to a whole new level.
In the southwestern U.S. you will find Mexican flavorings and in the south pizza is so different from anything that we are used to in the northeast that we find it hard to imagine it is pizza. A rose or a pizza by any other name, however, is a pizza, even in New Haven Connecticut where it is known as apizza.
Pizza comes in a great many varieties. All you need is some sort of flat bread and some toppings and you can create a delicious meal that is portable and can be Italian or not, the choice is totally yours. It will be delicious either way and creativity, it's a good thing.
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