Imagine walking through the busy streets of Naples, Italy, in the 1700s.

The air is filled with the smell of bread, baking, garlic sizzling, and tomatoes simmering.

On a street corner a baker slides a flat piece of dough into a hot oven,

tops it with tomatoes, cheese, and herbs, and hands it to a waiting customer. This simple yet delicious

creation is what we now call pizza. Today, pizza is loved all over the world, but its history

is a story that stretches back thousands of years. Long before modern pizza, people in ancient

civilizations were already eating flatbreads topped with ingredients.

In ancient Egypt, flatbread was a daily staple. In Greece, people topped flatbread with olive oil, onions, and herbs.

Even the Romans had their own version using flatbread with cheese and dates. These early dishes weren't

pizza as we know it today, but they showed that people everywhere enjoyed the idea of bread

mixed with flavorful toppings. The pizza we recognized today began in Naples, Italy, during the

1700s and 1800s. Naples was a busy city the 1700s and 1800s.

Naples was a busy city filled with workers and sailors who needed cheap and filling food.

Street vendors sold flatbreads with toppings like garlic, tomatoes, oil, and cheese.

At first, tomatoes were new to Europe, and some people thought they were poisonous, but in Naples they

became a favorite ingredient, and soon tomato-topped flatbreads were everywhere. These early

pizzas were simple, affordable, and perfect for people on the go. One of the most famous moments

in pizza's history came in 1889. King Umberto the first and Queen

Margarita of Italy visited Naples. The queen wanted to taste the local food, so a pizza maker

named Raphael Esposito created a special pizza just for her. He topped it with tomatoes,

mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil, which represented the red, white, and green of the Italian flag.

The queen loved it, and the pizza was named Pizza Margarita in her honor.

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