Documentation of pizza-like foods dates back throughout ancient history. In the 6th century BC, Persian soldiers under the Achaemenid Empire, led by Darius the Great, baked flatbreads with cheese and dates atop their battle shields. Similarly, ancient Greeks enhanced their bread with oils, herbs, and cheese. References to pizza-like dishes appear in literary works such as the Aeneid, where queen Celaeno foretells the Trojans eating their tables out of hunger, and Aeneas and his men encounter round cakes topped with cooked vegetables. In 2023, archaeologists unearthed a fresco in Pompeii featuring a pizza-like dish, potentially a precursor to the modern version. The earliest mention of the word “pizza” appears in a Latin notarial document from May 997 AD in Gaeta, detailing demands for pizzas alongside other food items for specific occasions like Christmas and Easter.

The modern iteration of pizza originated from similar flatbread dishes in Naples, Italy, during the 18th or early 19th century. Prior to this development, flatbreads were commonly adorned with ingredients such as garlic, salt, lard, and cheese. The introduction of tomatoes into pizza remains uncertain, with conflicting claims, but it likely occurred after the 16th century and the Columbian Exchange. Initially, pizza was vended from open-air stalls and bakeries until around 1830 when pizzerias in Naples began offering indoor seating areas where patrons could enjoy their pizzas on-site.

A popular contemporary tale suggests that the quintessential pizza, pizza Margherita, was conceived in 1889 at the request of the Royal Palace of Capodimonte. Neapolitan pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito was tasked with crafting a pizza in tribute to Queen Margherita’s visit. Among the three pizzas he presented, the Queen favored one adorned with the colors of the Italian flag—red (tomato), green (basil), and white (mozzarella). Allegedly, this pizza was christened after the Queen, with an official letter of acknowledgment from her “head of service” still on display at Esposito’s establishment, now known as Pizzeria Brandi. However, subsequent research has raised doubts about this legend, questioning the authenticity of the acknowledgment letter and suggesting that both the story and the name Margherita were first popularized in the 1930s–1940s.

Pizza made its way to the United States through Italian immigrants in the late nineteenth century and initially emerged in areas with high concentrations of Italian communities. The nation’s inaugural pizzeria, Lombardi’s, opened its doors in New York City in 1905. Following World War II, veterans returning from the Italian Campaign, who had been introduced to Italy’s native cuisine, became a receptive market for pizza, in particular.

The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, a non-profit organization established in 1984 with headquarters in Naples, endeavors to champion traditional Neapolitan pizza. In 2009, at Italy’s behest, Neapolitan pizza secured registration with the European Union as a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed dish. Furthermore, in 2017, the craft of Neapolitan pizza-making was inscribed on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage.