Americans can’t seem to get enough pizza. We eat billions of pies every year. So, how did this love affair with pizza begin? Look back with us to the Persian Empire, where young soldiers fill their bellies with flatbread cooked over an open flame. Then travel to 18th century Naples, as pizzaiolos slice thick wedges of pizza on Napoli streets. Plus, meet a modern-day pizzaiolo in the Midwest and learn to bake the perfect pizza crust, with just the right amount of chewiness and crunch.

Hosted by Claudia Hanna

Guests: Carol Helstosky, history professor at the University of Denver and author of Pizza: A Global History Brian DiCintio, founder of DiCintio’s Pizza Cucina in Marlow, Oklahoma 

Recipes from this episode:Persian Flatbread RecipePizza Dough RecipeLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices