Italian Pizza

The Italian crepes, a tasty disk-like delight baked with a mixture of different ingredients including tomatoes and cheese, is commonly referred to as “Pizza,” using a local transliteration instead of a semantic translation in Chinese. As for the origin of this worldwide snack delight, some have mentioned China. As the story goes, in 1271, Marco Polo, a merchant and explorer of the Republic of Venice, accompanied his father and uncle traveling to the East. During a trip to China, he had eaten a kind of pancake-like snack with a scallion filling that left him with quite an impression. Later, he managed to make it himself from what he could remember, which is said to be the pizza we have today. On the other hand, it was so mentioned in the First History Book of Rome written in the third century BC that: “The surface of a round crepe was swiped with olive oil, spices and honey and left to bake on a rock surface and flavored with bay leaves,” such a descriptive narrative is becoming of the prototype of pizza.
In fact, archaeologists have found traces that resemble the remains of a pizza shop near the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii. The present form of pizza is generally believed to have originated in Napoli, a city in southern Italy. At the end of the 18th century, it was one of the fastest growing cities in Europe, attracting a large influx of job-seekers to the city. Therefore, this simple and economical snack was there to meet the needs of the grassroot people. The earliest form of pizza was only topped with garlic, lard, and salt whereas the more complex ones might include an addition of cheese, small fish and basil. There is little doubt that it soon caught on with the public with its tastiness, cheapness and simplicity. The pizza later moved on to the United States with the Italian immigrants and have become the pizza we enjoy today, in the American style. The rest is history that its eater-friendly popularity has gradually developed into super chains of pizza shops all over America and worldwide.

Recommended Restaurants

1) Pizza Maru
Address: Shop 1302, 13/F, Hysan Place, 500 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay
Telephone: 23181012

2) Mother of Pizzas
Address: G/F, 13-19 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay
Telephone: 28912221

3) Jacomax
Address: G/F, Jardine Centre, 50 Jardine's Bazaar, Causeway Bay
Telephone: 23350900