An early reference to a pizza-like food occurs in the Aeneid, when Celaeno, queen of the Harpies, foretells that the Trojans would not find peace until they are forced by hunger to eat their tables (Book III). In the 6th century BC, the Persian soldiers of the Achaemenid Empire during the rule of Darius the Great baked flatbreads with cheese and dates on top of their battle shields and the ancient Greeks supplemented their bread with oils, herbs, and cheese. Records of people adding other ingredients to bread to make it more flavorful can be found throughout ancient history. The shift b>p could be explained by the High German consonant shift, and it has been noted in this connection that in German the word Imbiss means 'snack'.Р”Р‡oods similar to pizza have been made since the Neolithic Age. The Lombardic word bizzo or pizzo meaning 'mouthful' (related to the English words 'bit' and 'bite'), which was brought to Italy in the middle of the 6th century AD by the invading Lombards.Their origin is from Latin pinsere 'to pound, stamp'. The Etymological Dictionary of the Italian Language explains it as coming from dialectal pinza 'clamp', as in modern Italian pinze 'pliers, pincers, tongs, forceps'.The word pitta can in turn be traced to either Ancient Greek РџР‚Рћв„–РћС”РџвЂћРћВ® ( pikte), 'fermented pastry', which in Latin became 'picta', or Ancient Greek РџР‚РћР‡РџС“РџС“РћВ± ( pissa, Attic РџР‚РћР‡РџвЂћРџвЂћРћВ±, pitta), 'pitch', or РџР‚РћВ®РџвЂћРћВµРћВ± ( pР±С‘вЂ”tea), 'bran' (РџР‚РћВ·РџвЂћРћР‡РџвЂћРћВ·РџвЂљ pР”вЂњtР“ВtР”вЂњs, 'bran bread'). Modern Greek pitta bread and the Apulia and Calabrian (then Byzantine Italy) pitta, a round flat bread baked in the oven at high temperature sometimes with toppings. Byzantine Greek and Late Latin pitta > pizza, cf.The word 'pizza' first appeared in a Latin text from the town of Gaeta, then still part of the Byzantine Empire, in 997 AD the text states that a tenant of certain property is to give the bishop of Gaeta duodecim pizze ('twelve pizzas') every Christmas Day, and another twelve every Easter Sunday. Pizza with cheese and toppings, cut into slices In 2009, upon Italy's request, Neapolitan pizza was registered with the European Union as a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed dish, and in 2017 the art of its making was included on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage. True Neapolitan Pizza Association) is a non-profit organization founded in 1984 with headquarters in Naples that aims to promote traditional Neapolitan pizza. The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (lit. Various food companies also sell ready-baked frozen pizzas in grocery stores, to be reheated in an ordinary home oven. It has become one of the most popular foods in the world and a common fast food item in Europe, North America and Australasia available at pizzerias (restaurants specializing in pizza), restaurants offering Mediterranean cuisine, and via pizza delivery. Modern pizza was invented in Naples, and the dish and its variants have since become popular in many countries. The term pizza was first recorded in the 10th century in a Latin manuscript from the Southern Italian town of Gaeta in Lazio, on the border with Campania. In casual settings, however, it is cut into wedges to be eaten while held in the hand. In Italy, pizza served in formal settings, such as at a restaurant, is presented unsliced, and is eaten with the use of a knife and fork. A person who makes pizza is known as a pizzaiolo. A small pizza is sometimes called a pizzetta. Pizza ( Italian:, Neapolitan: ) is an Italian dish consisting of a usually round, flattened base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as anchovies, mushrooms, onions, olives, pineapple, meat, etc.), which is then baked at a high temperature, traditionally in a wood-fired oven.

Italian steak pizzaiola