Pizza is Italian in origin as you would expect, but it could not have been made without contact with the new world. Tomatoes are a new world fruit and thus pizza couldn’t be invented before the Columbian exchange. While there were similar dishes in Italy in the past, (The Aeneid did have the prophecy by about edible tables after all) it wasn’t truly pizza in the sense that we see it today. That honor would be a royal order  in 1889 when the queen of Italy wanted a food served that represented Italy, thus a dish including tomato, cheese, and basil was made and the modern pizza was born. 

The first pizza in the Americans was in New York in the early 1900’s. Italian immigrants knew of pizza and thus it became a quick and easy meal to have for themselves and serve for others. This type was NY style pizza. An extremely thin pizza with tomato, cheese, and dough cooked quick over an open flame. This combination is truly the first thing that most today would call pizza in the Americas. Eating this pizza is typically done by folding it in half due to its thin properties that is mathematically sound.

Pizza became popular and moved across the country gaining variations. In Chicago, a thick pizza pie was created with stuffed ingredients and baked in a thick pan. This deep dish pizza is very unlike the NY style pizza and cannot be eaten as easily. As this is a shift from an on the go easy to make and eat meal to a more sit down experience, the two styles are as far apart as you can get and they each have their own supporters.

When it comes to most modern pizza chains, however, the type used is a middle ground usually pan or hand tossed pizza which is thick enough to not need folding but thin enough to eat without a knife and fork like deep dish. Each chain has their own twists to them of course mostly when it comes to the mixture of ingredients in making the dough or sauce. Pizza Hut, for example has a cheese sauce, which I used for the presentation.

Now why is pizza made like that? Well spinning the dough in the air allows the moisture to be kept in as well as make the dough even without tearing it. This is especially the case for NY Style and pan/hand tossed pizzas. As for the cheese, mozzarella is used over other cheeses due to its browning and stretchability which makes pizza making a whole lot easier. 

As for why I love it myself, it is a personal reason. Star Wars Episode 1 was being promoted by Pepsi and as a small Star Wars fan and with parents who were also fans we had to get all the toys. And who had the toys? Well the Pepsi owned Pizza Hut/Taco Bell/KFC nearby. As I was too young to handle most the food there and the kids meals had a pizza option anyway, that is what I got and loved. This easily edible option that I could eat with my hands and spend time with my family is what made that love so strong. Didn’t hurt that the Pizza Hut Book It program made me focus on schoolwork. Lastly, it was the only food I could make with my mom at home since, well she didn’t cook. At all. But we were competent enough to grate cheese and spread sauce on a Boboli ready made pizza and of course be able to eat something you made. No other food for me has that connection.