Justin Dodd of the Mental Floss series Food History explains the history of various types of pizza and some of the more entertaining myths behind the famous food. He questions the story of the Margherita pizza. He also notes how pizza is very close to pita, which would make its origins outside Italy. He also talks about the different pizza styles across the US. He confirms that Lombardi’s is the oldest pizzeria in New York City but naysays the myth that New York tap water has anything to do with its pizza.
The history of pizza is not as clear-cut (into 8 slices) as you might imagine. Pizza history is actually filed with myths and half-truths. In this episode, host Justin Dodd peels back the cheesy surface to uncover the truth (and some of the more entertaining lies) about pizza’s history.
