Once Upon a Time: Pizza

There can be no doubt that Marco islanders love Italy. They love everything about it. When visitors arrive, one of the questions is always: “Where do all of the Italian names come from? Marco? Isles of Capri? Naples?

After explaining that Marco Island actually came from Isla de San Marcos, and that the famed explorer Juan Ponce Deleon was searching for the fountain of youth when the freshwater springs on Marco became the newest European discovery, the island with the youthful Native Americans began as The Island of St. Mark. 

Capri and Naples are much younger however, but a true story that forever changed the flavor of America is a fun culinary tale of the history of Naples, Italy.

Once upon a time, in 1889, Queen Margarita of Italy was on a tour of the southern Italian cities with her husband, King Umberto. As the royal couple rode in their elegant carriage and waved to the adoring public who were lining the streets of Naples, Queen Margarita noticed there were many in the crowds eating as they were watching the royal procession. As the majestic parade continued, the queen became curious about the obviously popular snack of the local Neapolitans. Standing along on either side of the parade, the peasants were munching on round pieces of thin bread. They were holding the plate-sized portions with both hands as the carriages were moving along, and with every bite taken, the thin crispy crust was continuously turned as it became smaller and smaller.

Almost everyone along the parade was eating and turning the thin round discs of bread and when the entourage and the parade was finished the queen summoned the mayor of Naples. When the local dignitary made his entrance at the local palace and bowed before the queen, Margarita smiled before she asked. “Whatever are the people of your city eating?”

At first, the mayor was baffled by the question, and failed to answer before the queen asked again, “The flatbread?” she insisted. “The round thin crusts? Almost everyone was eating the thin round flatbread. What is it?”

The mayor smiled when he understood. “Of course, your majesty. The food everyone was eating was pizza. The flatbread is a favorite with the peasants. It came from Greece. The Grecian sailors brought it into our port and everyone seemed smitten with the novelty. This pizza is simply bread rolled out very thin, and then coated with olive oil on either side. After a sprinkling of oregano, the pizza goes into a hot oven to create the crispy crust.

Queen Margarita smiled again. “I would like to try it.”

“But your majesty,” the mayor of Naples stammered, “This pizza is a food only for peasants.”

Queen Margarita shook her head. “Even so,” she declared, “I would like to try it for myself. I have always been a queen for all of my people. Peasant or not. Please see to it that King Umberto and I shall have pizza for our supper. I will be looking forward to my evening meal.” 

After his dismissal, the mayor was bowing out gracefully but his mind was in a screaming panic: “How can I serve the King and Queen of Italy peasant food?”  

After leaving the local palace, the mayor of the Neapolitans dashed straight to his favorite chef in all of Naples. When the chief magistrate was facing the topmost culinary chief in the city, the mayor’s Italian was gushing as he explained the predicament. “How can anyone serve this peasant Greek sailor food to our King and Queen?” The mayor was wringing his hands. “How is this possible? What can we do? I will be the laughing stock of all Italy!”

When one of the most celebrated chefs and bakers of all Naples saw his mayor’s dilemma, he knew he must act. “Do not fear what must be done my mayor,” the chef explained. “I have an idea. Return before sunset, and I will have a special pizza prepared that will please everyone.”

The mayor obeyed and departed in a frenzy, and the chef went to work.

Of his assistants, the chef gave the order for a shopping list. The city was to be searched for the most perfectly ripe tomatoes, the freshest basil, and the very finest of all the mozzarella cheese.

When the mayor returned, the Italian sun was setting, and the very first margarita pizzas were coming out of the oven. “I have found your answer, my mayor,” the chef explained. “You must travel quickly and serve the royals with pride. I have prepared a royal treat to match the colors of the Italian flag. The tomatoes on the crust represent the red of our flag, the basil the green, and the mozzarella the white of our national colors.

With the aroma of the first traditional pizza convincing the mayor, the chief magistrate of Naples became the first delivery boy, and when Queen Margarita tasted her first slice, she declared at once that the special pizza from Naples was her new favorite food.

Before 1945, and the end of World War II, most Americans never heard of or tasted pizza. It was only after American soldiers returning from Italy began to demand what they learned to love in the land once ruled by Queen Margarita.

Even during the late 1950’s pizza in America was not common, but in the mountains of east Tennessee - where one of the Marco Beach Boys came from - pizza was only a legend until the late 1960’s. This was most probably because cooking traditions on the Cumberland Plateau were not something one would change without serious consideration - no matter what new taste sensations were sweeping across America.

Eventually, in every community everywhere, folks will sit around a table and talk about food. One of the memories I will always cherish is hearing my uncle telling the tale of what pizza tasted like in the big city of Chattanooga. Living in rural Crossville Tennessee in the 1960’s, not many were ever exposed to pizza, garlic, or for that matter, anything that was not seasoned with both kinds of spice: salt and pepper. In fact, as the relatives sat around the table with the big city uncle from Chattanooga, the conversation still echoes.

“That’s right,” Uncle Henry began, “They call it a pizza pie, but it’s not sweet at all. Everyone is trying it, and I do have to admit, the taste is really good.”

“Well, what kind of a pie is it?” Granny asked suspiciously.

“It just has a bottom crust, and that part is covered with tomato sauce, then they top it with sausage, onion, cheese, and I think they even use garlic. Then they cook it in an oven until the cheese melts and the crust gets crispy.”

“A garlic pie!” Granny scoffed. “Everybody knows that you should never cook with garlic! If you cook with garlic, your house will smell foreign!”

Granny might still be around if she had only embraced pizza and the Mediterranean diet of Queen Margarita.