It's Never JUST Food!

Episode 10: Pizza and its 1000 years of evolution


Listen Later

Episode Description

Believe it or not, pizza didn’t start as a global “fast food.” It started as practical street food in Naples, then became a craft, then became a symbol and eventually became a mass-produced product category in a lot of places. In this episode, we explore the history behind pizza, a popular legend, cultural trends and everything in between.


In this episode

  • The earliest known written mention of “pizza”  
  • Pizza in Naples during the 1700s–1800s
  • The first pizzeria and what we know from historical records
  • The Margherita story    
  • The UNESCO recognition of Neapolitan pizza-making as a cultural practice
  • Pizza styles beyond Neapolitan (Italy + global styles)
  • How pizza became industrialized
  • Pizza meal prep


Connect with Noha

  • Topic requests: [email protected]
  • Follow the podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
  • Follow Noha on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 
  • Learn more about working with Noha ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



References mentioned in the episode

  • Mattozzi, Antonio. (2015). Inventing the Pizzeria: A History of Pizza Making in Naples. 
  • National Geographic. (2022). Pizza Margherita may be fit for a queen, but was it really named after one?
  • UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. (2017). Art of Neapolitan ‘Pizzaiuolo’. 
  • Bon Appétit. (2018). What Is the Difference Between a Calzone and a Stromboli? 
  • History Today. (2016). History of Pizza. 
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

It's Never JUST Food!By Noha Gerges