The use of the word called “pizza” is found to be taken from Latin terminology. It was available in a text that is found in the town of Gaeta in Southern Italy. Though the actual reason for the introduction of the name pizza is not certain, there are some theories which explain the reason why pizza was called such. The first theory says that the word pizza was taken from an old German word known as pizzo. This word means mouthful. The word pizza was observed to be in use from 997 CE. According to this first theory, the word became popular in Italy during the middle of the 6th century CE. This word was considered to be brought to the Italy by the Lombards who were invading the country. This theory is supported by the Oxford Dictionary, though it was revealed that there was no strong evidence.
The second theory says that the word pizza was taken from the Latin word called pinsa, which is another tense for the term pinsere. This term indicates crushing or flattening of the dough. The third theory says that the word pizza has evolved from the term known as pizzicare which gives the meaning of plucking or pinching. This also means that pizza can be quickly plucked from the oven. The term pizzicare is also found to have its origin from the Italian word pizzo. The fourth theory says that the word pizza has originated from the Latin word known as picea. This term explains about the bread blackening in the oven and the black ash that gets gathered at the bottom of the oven.
The fifth theory says that pizza is connected with the word pita. This word is found to be present in the Aramaic languages which actually means bread. This bread exists in several flat layers that appear similar to pita bread. Pizza was called by the Greeks as pita which means pie, in Turkish as pide in Albanian as pite, in Serbian and Croatian as pita, and modern Hebrew and Bulgarian as pita. Romans used to prepare a dish which consisted of a flour sheet that is covered with honey, cheese, and oregano leaves. The pizza that is popular now has originated from Italy which is considered a Neapolitan pie that has a tomato topping. The addition of cheese was made in the year 1889. This is the brief history of why a pizza is called pizza.
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