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by Francine Black
What could be nicer than coming into the house out of the deep chill to the warm aroma of baking bread? Today, I’ve baked focaccia, pizza, cranberry-apricot-walnut whole wheat, and a light rye.
But let’s talk about pizza, arguably the most well-loved food in America. The average American consumes around 23 pounds of pizza per year!
When did it all begin? Once again, we look to the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians, who prized flat breads with toppings such as herbs and olives. Virgil’s epic poem “The Aeneid” tells of the fall of Troy in 1180 BC. (Remember the Trojan Horse?).
The fallen Trojans fled to Italy, whereupon Aeneas’ son Ascanius declared to his dad that he was really hungry. All Aeneas had were some topless stale flat breads in his sack, so the son foraged and came up with some mushrooms and herbs. Thinking to use the stale bread as a pan, he topped it with his treasures and ate just the mushrooms and herbs. The still hungry boy decide to eat the bread too, and finding it delicious, announced a new culinary discovery. Soon the rest of the group toasted their flat breads with whatever toppings they had on hand.
The first documented pizza comes from Naples in 997 AD. A young man paid tribute to the local bishop with 12 pizzas.
Finally in 1889, King Umberto I and Queen Margherita commanded the chefs to provide them with some local specialties and chef Raffael Esposito, to their great delight, presented them with pizzas. The queen’s favorite was the one with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil and hence it bears her name to this day.
The first pizzeria, Lombardi’s, opened in NYC in 1905 thanks to the influx of Italian immigrants. Of course, the rest is history!
After reading Francine's discussion about pizza, maybe you suddenly yearn for a slice. If you previously missed it, this might be a good time to read Michael Strzelecki's article about his search for the best pizza in the Boyertown area. Click here to read it.
High in the mountains above Bally, where the dense groves of treetops seem to touch the sky, is Francine Black, Boyertown’s own version of chef Julia Child. Her daily activities reflect the things she most values: family and friends, music, and lovingly prepared food.
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