Prior to World War II, pizza was mostly an affordable peasant food made casalinga-style by southern Italian immigrants in their kitchens. Following World War II, though, new technologies like refrigeration and delivery made pizza much more accessible to a much broader audience.
Soon you could spot Lucille Ball picking up a slice on an episode of I Love Lucy or Joe DiMaggio and Frank Sinatra devouring one. Pizza quickly went from being considered an ethnic food to becoming part of American culture.
Lombardi’s Pizzeria
Lombardi’s became more than a pizzeria during its 118 years of business; it served as an iconic representation of Italian American society within New York City.
Gennaro Lombardi, commonly known as Totonno, is widely believed to have established the first pizzeria in America in 1905 at 53 Spring Street Grocery/Bakery in Philadelphia – officially licensed as such – though several pizza joints had existed prior to Lombardi, such as Filippo Milone in Brooklyn who had set up multiple pizzerias before him.
Lombardi’s was also popular among working class communities; local factory workers would stop by for lunch breaks for slices. Additionally, staff cut slices for women living on floors below – this helped increase sales significantly and resulted in the creation of the unique New York style pie known as a New York Slice.
The Early Years
Folklore holds that Gennaro Lombardi opened America’s inaugural licensed pizzeria in New York’s Little Italy neighborhood in 1905. His pizzas were inspired by traditional recipes from Naples, and cooked using coal or charcoal ovens.
Rapid economic and technological transformations following World War II further transformed pizza. One major transformation was its ‘domestication’; as disposable incomes rose, refrigerators and freezers became commonplace, and demand for convenient foods like frozen pizza soared – leading to its creation.
As American society became more connected, regional Italian-American cuisine developed across the nation during this era. New York quickly adopted classic thin-crust pizza while Chicago introduced deep-dish pizza. As more people connected globally through communication technologies, pizza’s popularity skyrocketed – international chains such as Shakey’s and Domino’s helped spread pizza love around while more artisanal pizzerias featuring quality ingredients and wood-fired ovens opened for business.
Post-World War II
Once pizza became more widely recognized as an American food than simply an immigrant cuisine, its popularity skyrocketed and was soon available everywhere from urban neighborhoods to suburban strip malls.
Beginning in the 1940s, returning GIs who’d served in Italy began opening pizzerias in their hometowns and even branching out into pizza chains catering to non-Italians.
New York-style pizza also evolved during this era with the introduction of the “slice.” No longer did people need to purchase an entire pie; now they could enjoy just one slice! Gas ovens replaced coal ones, lightening crusts while increasing cheese addition. Additional toppings such as pineapple, ham and even Mexican salsa made their debut; thus marking when pizza truly took hold in American food culture and began its evolution into what we know it today.
Modern Chains
Modern pizza has become an increasingly popular lunch and dinner choice, offered in pizzerias, food stands, chain outlets such as Domino’s and Little Caesars and supermarket frozen pizza aisles. Furthermore, take-and-bake frozen pizza is available from supermarket frozen sections for take home use – these services make pizza more accessible to American diners than ever.
With the advent of modern pizza ovens, bakers could quickly and cost-effectively produce pies quickly and cheaply. Furthermore, refrigerators became more accessible, providing storage solutions to enable rapid pizza expansion.
Subsequently, pizzas grew in size from ten inches to fourteen or more pies – ideal meals for families and groups of friends – reflecting America’s embrace of global culinary traditions as well as our desire for variety. Today’s menus at many pizza restaurants feature both traditional and exotic ingredients to meet any taste or dietary preference – evidence of its growing popularity here in America.
