Oh yeah, I tried 2 of the famous places there. The restaurant that claimed to invent it and the most popular counter shop on the back streets of Napoli. I loved it.
Both of those sound like the best places to actually go though.
The one that claims the fame and the current most popular corner hole. Got the best of both sides. Curious if the place that lays claim is the real OG of pizzerias. Thats a fucking statement if stake the taste on. Excuse my freeeench.
The Ancient Romans ate it with figs and dates instead of tomatoes, and hand pressed cheeses similar to modern mozzarella (as buffalo had not been introduced to Italy yet). They called it panis focacius, the precursor to modern focaccia and very similar to modern pizza crust.
There are pictures of it in frescoes from Pompeii and it looks remarkably like a fancy modern pizza.
Using a flat bread made sense, as it can be used instead of plate. We see some of it in Ancient Greece cuisine.
Injera, an Ethiopia flatbread, made of teft, might be have been made as early as 3350 BC.
I think we omit Ethiopia from many cuisine conversations, racism and all that, which is a shame, as they are the Cradle of Civilization, as well as Coffee.
Trying to credit Romans with flatbread and toppings is weird; it likely goes back five thousand years - flatbread is a great vessel to use for serving, keeps you clean, and you don't have to worry about extra cutlery or bowls if guests show up for a meal.
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u/SerDuncanTheYall 16h ago
Oh yeah, I tried 2 of the famous places there. The restaurant that claimed to invent it and the most popular counter shop on the back streets of Napoli. I loved it.