Pizza might feel as British as a Saturday night takeaway, but its roots go far deeper than the local high street. To truly understand where pizza was invented and who dreamed up the first ever slice, we have to travel back to 18th-century Italy, specifically to the vibrant city of Naples.
Naples: The Birthplace of Pizza
It was in Naples, a bustling port city in southern Italy, that pizza first took shape. In the 1700s, Naples was a lively hub filled with working-class locals known as lazzaroni.
These were ordinary people who needed affordable, filling food they could eat quickly. Street vendors began selling flatbreads topped with basic yet tasty ingredients, olive oil, garlic, salt, and sometimes tomato, which had only recently arrived from the Americas.
This was the beginning of something special. These early pizzas were cooked in wood-fired ovens and sold straight from the street. They weren’t luxurious by any means, but they were warm, satisfying, and distinctly Neapolitan.
Who Invented Pizza? The Legend of Raffaele Esposito
While pizza had existed in various forms for decades, one name stands out when it comes to who truly invented pizza as we know it today – Raffaele Esposito.
Esposito was a local baker from Naples who, in 1889, was asked to prepare a special dish for the visiting King Umberto I and Queen Margherita of Savoy.
Keen to impress, he created three pizzas with different toppings, but the one that caught the Queen’s attention was simple yet beautiful; tomato, mozzarella, and fresh basil, representing the colours of the Italian flag.
In her honour, Esposito named it Pizza Margherita. That combination of fresh ingredients, flavour, and symbolism quickly became a national treasure and laid the foundation for modern pizza.
From Naples to the World
It wasn’t until the late 19th and early 20th centuries that pizza began its global journey. As Italian immigrants moved abroad, they brought their traditions, and recipes with them.
In cities like New York, Chicago, and eventually London, pizza evolved to suit local tastes and ingredients.
The Neapolitan-style pizza, though, never lost its soul. The original version, soft, chewy, slightly charred around the edges, remains protected by strict rules under the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, ensuring that true pizza-making traditions from Naples are kept alive.
Pizza’s London Love Affair
London has embraced pizza in its own distinctive way. From stone-baked sourdoughs in East London to wood-fired Neapolitan pies in Soho, the capital has become a melting pot of pizza styles.
Yet, every slice, no matter how creative or localised, traces its roots back to that small bakery in Naples and to Esposito’s famous royal creation.
Today, when you bite into a Pizza Margherita in Soho or a truffle-topped slice in Shoreditch, you’re tasting a story that began nearly 250 years ago in southern Italy.
Final Thoughts
So, where was pizza invented? In the heart of Naples. And who invented pizza? A proud Italian baker named Raffaele Esposito, whose creation for a queen became one of the world’s most beloved foods.
Pizza isn’t just a dish, it’s a story of simplicity, creativity, and community, one that started in Naples but found a home everywhere, including right here in London.
