Pizza's Evolution: From Nasty Cake to America’s Favorite Food

If This Food Could Talk

Americans can’t seem to get enough pizza. We eat billions of pies every year. So, how did this love affair with pizza begin? Look back with us to the Persian Empire, where young soldiers fill their bellies with flatbread cooked over an open flame. Then travel to 18th century Naples, as pizzaiolos slice thick wedges of pizza on Napoli streets. Plus, meet a modern-day pizzaiolo in the Midwest and learn to bake the perfect pizza crust, with just the right amount of chewiness and crunch.

Hosted by Claudia Hanna

Guests: 

Carol Helstosky, history professor at the University of Denver and author of Pizza: A Global History 

Brian DiCintio, founder of DiCintio’s Pizza Cucina in Marlow, Oklahoma 

Recipes from this episode:

Persian Flatbread Recipe

Pizza Dough Recipe

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada