Pizza Cultura

the long version

"No one knows exactly who it was or when it happened. The only certainty is that someone in late 18th century Naples took a flatbread-the kind that had existed for millennia across the Mediterranean and Middle East-and topped it with tomato, a native plant of the Americas that had been brought to Europe two centuries earlier. Then in 1889, pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito, in a fateful attempt to impress the visiting Queen Margherita of Savoy, added his own embellishments: mozzarella and basil. With the resulting "tre colori" pizza, an Italian icon was born. Pizza Cultura: Love at First Slice takes an in-depth look at one of the world's most beloved dishes. The history. The ingredients. The tools of the trade. Its proliferations, mutations, and ever-increasing popularity across the globe. You'll also find nutritional information, pairing advice, celebrity quotes, chef recipes and a gallery of the best pizza art through the ages."--