While the exact origins of food delivery services might be hard to trace between different parts of the world, almost every adult in modern times would probably remember when pizza was the only thing we could order and have delivered. The pizza delivery revolution changed the world and the mindset of food accessibility; and even though these days you could get practically any kind of food or cuisine delivered to you, pizza still dominates as an easy favourite.

Besides knowing that pizza is originally Italian, many pizza-lovers may not know much else about the origins of this ultimate comfort food.

So before you order your next flat box of cheesy goodness, here are some interesting facts about pizza that you can tell the people you’ll be sharing your pie with!

Pizza is from Naples, Italy

While versions of cheese on bread or pastry would have surely existed for a long time before, the invention of the modern pizza is widely credited to Raffaele Esposito, an Italian chef and tavern owner from the late 1800s. Regarded as the premier pizza maker in Naples, his restaurant was called Pizzeria di Pietro e basta così which translates to “Pietro’s Pizzeria and that’s enough”!

The legend of a Queen who would have a pizza named after her

The iconic pizza Margherita, is said to be named after Queen Margherita of Savoy, who would visit Naples with her husband King Umberto and be treated to a pizza meal by Raffaele Esposito. It is said that the pizza chef wanted to create a pizza with the colours of the Italian flag; tomatoes for the red, mozzarella cheese for the white, and basil to make the green.

The story has it that the Queen loved the taste of the pizza so much, leading the restaurant to use her recommendation to promote the ‘Margherita’ pizza, forever immortalising the pizza and its Neapolitan origins.

Tip: You can order a Margherita Pizza on GemSpot from Piccolo Cravings and Flowers and Coffee!

The global commercialization of pizza started in the USA

There are many links throughout history that tie the arrival of pizza to the United States, including the immigration of Italians to the country in the late 19^th century, as well as stories of American soldiers sampling pizza in Italy during World War II. Records show applications for pizzeria licenses in the state of New York dating back from as early as 1905.

Pizza chain restaurants then mushroomed up in the mid to late 50s, and by the 1960s pizza consumption had exploded all over the country, with the birth of well-known names that we still have today like Pizza Hut and Domino’s.

Pizza flavours have evolved

From the humble origins of the Margherita pizza made with fresh ingredients and only 3 toppings, pizzas today can take on a variety of shapes and flavours.

The most popular pizza in America remains the pepperoni pizza (which explains why the pizza emoji looks like a slice of pepperoni!); and the controversial Hawaiian pizza with pineapple chunks as a topping – something that is said will not be served by most pizzerias in Italy – was actually created by a Greek-Canadian pizza maker in 1962… in Ontario Canada, with the name ‘Hawaiian’ referring to the use of pineapple and not that the pizza was created in Hawaii.

You can get a wide variety of pizza on GemSpot

Wherever you are in the Klang Valley, we have a pizza place near you! With a wide variety of pizza flavours, you can order yourself

• a classic such as a Quattro Formaggi (AKA 4 cheeses from La Risata),
• go fancy with something like a Mushroom Truffle Oil pizza (Lavo),
• a pie with a local twist like the Mutton Varuval pizza (from NYC Dining Bar), or even
• a vegetarian pizza if you’re going meat free such as the Vegan Delite (from NYC Dining Bar).

Pizzas are undoubtedly MADE to share! Enjoy 20% OFF on weekday orders, and make a group order and get a few boxes for a pizza party and enjoy FREE DELIVERY (for orders up to 25km distance) with a minimum spend of RM80. Alternatively, you can also get RM6 OFF your delivery fee (min spend RM30).