As popular and beloved as pizzas are, it’s hard to believe that the dish is such a recent arrival. Italian immigrants introduced the dish to America in the late 19th century, but it was GIs returning home from Italy after WWII that really got the pizza ball rolling. By tradition, what we think of as pizza probably originated in Naples late in the 18th century.

Styles and ingredients can vary enormously with new versions appearing constantly. Making your own pizzas at home will quickly ruin you for the usual commercial chains. Homemade pizza can even be baked on a pizza “stone” that will approximate the results obtained in a traditional brick oven. The key to wonderful pizzas is simple- cook it hot and cook it fast!

Calzones are folded pastry “turnovers” that are prepared with pizza dough and feature similar fillings. Before baking they are usually brushed with olive oil and then baked in a hot oven just like pizzas.

Focaccia derives from the Latin word “focus,” as they were originally baked on the hearth stone of the fireplace, which was indeed the center or “focus” of the home. This style of flatbread dates from the very ancient Mediterranean world. Although often topped with olive oil, coarse salt and herbs, toppings can include many possibilities.

What else can we say, except to wish you a hearty “Buon Appetito!”