The history of pizza goes back centuries ago where a simple flatbread finished with toppings, was consumed by the Romans, Greeks and ancient Egyptians. The beloved pizza started coming to life in the late 1800s and was originally created to feed the ‘lazzaroni’ (street people in Naples who were the poorest of people in the lowest class of society). As these people were constantly travelling and looking for work, they required quick, cheap, and easy food. Filled with mainly negative reviews from foreigners and food writers, it was until 1899 when this all changed. Queen Margherita and King Umbridge I visited Naples no longer wanting the same French dishes that were being served. Although their foods were complicated and intricate, they wanted to try something new. Raffaele Esposito, who was the pizzaiolo, was ordered to prepare local foods for Queen Margherita – in which he made three types of pizza. The pizzas he prepared were;

• Pizza with cecenielli (pizza with whitebait)
• Pizza with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil
• Pizza with lard, caciocavallo and basil (pizza with horse- milk cheese)

After indulging in these, the Queen was in awe. As for her name, you can guess which pizza she liked the most. With the history that is known to us, it truly does come as a surprise in realising just how far the greasy dough snack has come and how international and much-loved it is.

In recognition of this national food day, we take a look at where you can get the best pizza around Malta and Gozo.