Pizza in History

Posted by Christine Szalay-Kudra on September 13, 2010

One of the most popular food choices in the United States is pizza. It is actually popular all over the world in one form or another. While the true origins of pizza are lost in the far off past, some handy references throughout the ages have helped shed a little light on the subject.

Ancient History

As early as the 6th century BC saw soldiers of Darius the Great cooking a flat bread on their shields. They then covered the bread with cheese and dates before eating it. Sounds rather like a pizza, does not it? Cato the Elder, author of the first history of Rome in the 3rd century BC, wrote of a “flat round of dough dressed with olive oil, herbs, and honey, baked on stones.”

We have a good idea of what they were eating in ancient Rome because Marcus Gavius Apicius wrote a cook book in the first century AD. In it, he described a bread base covered with toppings like cheese, chicken, mint, pine nuts, oil, pepper, and garlic. These toppings are still used on pizzas to this day!

Excavations in ancient Pompeii make it look like pizzas were enjoyed in the ancient world. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, this world was entombed for posterity, preserving a day in the life of ancient Italy. Excavations have shown shops that look much like today’s pizzerias, with marble slabs and other tools. A Pompeiian statue in the Museo Nazionale in Naples is called the “I Pizzaiolo,” which means “one who makes pizza.”

Pizza as We Know It

It was not until 1522 that tomatoes were introduced to Europe from the New World. At first, they were thought to be poisonous. It was not until the poor people of Naples began sampling the tomatoes and adding it to their dough that the modern pizza was created. The dough was topped with olive oil, lard, cheese, and herbs, along with the tomatoes. Neapolitan pies got the reputation of being the best in all of Italy. By the 17th century, visitors to Naples would be sure to make a trip to the poorer sections of the city to taste the “pizzaioli” that the peasants ate.

In the 18th century, Italian royalty took notice of the humble pizza. One Queen had a pizza oven installed in the palace to serve this “delicacy” to her guests. Another had a pizza named after her, “Pizza Margherita,” topped with basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella. By the early 19th century, pizza stalls served this popular meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With a simple pizza dough recipe, vendors topped it with cheese, tomato and mushrooms or anchovies for the most popular varieties in the day.

In the late 19th century, pizza finally made it to the New World. New York City sported the first pizzeria in 1905, but it just did not catch on. In 1943, Ike Sewell created the deep dish pizza in his restaurant, Pizzeria Uno in Chicago.

American soldiers in Italy during World War II really developed a taste for pizza. When they came home after the war, they wanted pizza. By the 1950s, pizza began its swift rise in popularity in the United States, becoming one of the top foods in the nation.

It is no secret that the world loves pizza. Not only is pizza a famous fast food but it can also be a tasty, home cooked meal. Making your own pizza means, you choose the crust, sauce and toppings and you can make your dream pizza with ease. We have many recipes at our site.

Can Healthy Dessert Recipes Be Satisfying

Posted by KC Kudra on September 6, 2010

Do you hear the word “dessert” and shudder, envisioning the kind of chocolate covered, calorie laden gooey desserts, which would add inches to your waistline in the most unforgiving way? Do you think that it is unfair how the nicest, sweetest things are the ones, which are worst for your health?

Actually, it is possible to make scrumptious dessert recipes, which are healthy and very low in calories and fat. If you know about dessert history, you will know that desserts have been enjoyed all over the world for thousands of years.

Desserts Through History

Each culture has its own idea about what constitutes a satisfying dessert. Sesame, red beans, and lotus are often used in Chinese desserts. Honey is a common addition to Greek dessert recipes. A cheeseboard is a common savory dessert. The Aztecs were the first to enjoy chocolate recipes and ice cream can be traced all the way back to 4 BC.

Obviously thousands of years ago, there was no such thing as artificial sweeteners or sugar free jello recipes and whereas the history of strawberry shortcake dessert might be very interesting, knowing how to make low fat, low calorie versions of such dishes is sure to be just as appealing.

Sugar Free Jello for Healthy Dessert Recipe Ideas

A healthy dessert does not have to be a boring dessert. You might think an apple or banana makes a healthy dessert but it is not very satisfying, which is why you will be eyeing the cookie jar ten minutes after eating it. If you have no sugar free jello or artificial sweetener, go and buy some and you can start getting creative.

A bowl of fifteen strawberries covered with sugar free strawberry jello has the same amount of calories as an apple but makes a bigger, more satisfying, and more interesting dessert. Sugar free jello is really versatile and you can do plenty with it.

A healthy dessert is not necessarily one that is low in sugar because the most important part of a healthy diet is variety and if you have eaten a healthy dinner, a bowl of something sweet is not going to do you any harm.

There are lots of different jello desserts you can make and you can add nuts and fruit for texture and taste. You might consider a jello cake to be unhealthy but what about replacing the sugar in the cake for Splenda and the jello for sugar free jello? You have halved the calories in the finished jello cake without affecting the flavor!

If you want to eat more healthily but you hate feeling deprived of sweet treats, you might like to dust off your aluminum jello molds and make some sugar free jello today. You can eat tasty desserts and still keep in shape. Sugar free jello is definitely one of the best ways to enjoy frequent sweet desserts without going up a dress size.

Recipes such as jello fruit salad will never go out of vogue because they are simple to make and they taste great after a heavy meal or a light one. There are limitless jello fruit salad recipes to make because of the many fruits and varieties of jello available for you to use.