Three Colors of Italy – Pizza
Pizza has become one of the favorite foods all over the world. In U.S. more than million pizza pies are eaten a day and each citizen of the U.S. eats approximately 45 pizza slices annually. With pizza coupons, this delicious food becomes even more affordable and popular. Even though it is now considered to be of Italian origin, pizza was baked and eaten back in the ancient times. Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine is impossible without crusty pizza pie – bread topped seasoned with native spices and olive oil. However what we now refer to as a pizza was created by the lower class of the Naples, Italy. The legend says that Italian baker wanted to impress King and Queen with patriotic food that would represent Italy and its colors: green, white and red. So, he topped flat brad with basil, mozzarella and tomato (tomato was brought to Europe in the 16th century, from America).
As centuries passed away, the traditional pizza has been changing and nowadays there are various styles and ingredients used for making it. The crust (pizza bottom) may be either thin as Roman pizza (hand-tossed) or thick Chicago-style pizza (pan pizza). Pizza is baked in an electric deck oven, wood-fired brick oven or in a conveyor belt oven if prepared in restaurants. At home, it is usually baked in regular ovens or as a grilled pizza. Pizza Napoletana is basically made with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Lazio Pizza have many variates: Pizza Bianca (white pizza), Quattro Stagioni (four seasons), Quattro formaggi (four cheeses) and perhaps the most popular Pizza Capricciosa are just some of them. Almost every pizza restaurant has its own pizza specialty, so combinations are rather uncountable. The best thing about the pizza is that it allows bakers to freely combine and add ingredients in order to get some extraordinary delicious taste.