Why is World Pizza Day celebrated on 9 February?

It is the eternal debate, like that of Spain's 'tortilla' potato omelette with or without onion, or 'salmorejo' with or without cucumber. Pizza, too, sparks controversy between those in favour of including pineapple or not. On 9 February 2017, the President of Iceland, Guoni Th. Jóhannesson, was speaking on Twitter (now X): "I like pineapple, but not on pizza. I don't have the power to create laws banning people from putting pineapple on their food. I'm glad I don't have that power.

That's when he posted the comment. And it created a controversy that still rages in many homes today. What is clear is that, since then, this popular dish that transcends generations has its own special date in the international calendar. This Sunday, World Pizza Day is being celebrated to highlight the value of this Italian dish, which has been declared an Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Unesco.

Italian? Yes, with nuances. Foodies place its origins in Naples between the 17th and 18th centuries, when tomato was added to a flat dough. That is where the beginnings of what we identify today as pizza are to be found, but similar dishes were already mentioned in Roman and Greek literature, such as the Ancient Greek 'plakous', which is a flattened bread with herbs, onion, garlic and cheese. Even in 997 BC the term pizza is found in a Latin text in Gaeta, Italy.

In fact, pizza is nothing more than a circular dough made from flour, water, yeast and salt, a recipe very similar to that found in other parts of the world such as 'pitta' in Greece or 'pide' in Turkey. Hence, it is believed that the origins of pizza can be traced back millennia to ancient cultures such as the Egyptians, Persians, Greeks and Romans, as mentioned above.

There is no doubt, however, that the birthplace of pizza as such is in Italy. And part of the 'blame' for its popularity lies with the chef Raffaele Esposito, who at the end of the century received an important commission from the Royal Palace of Capodimonte: to create a pizza in memory of and in honour of the visit of Queen Margherita of Savoy. He did so in the colours of the Italian flag: red (tomato), white (mozzarella) and green (basil). It is believed that this is where the famous Margherita pizza was born... and Esposito is considered the inventor of the pizza.

Since then, it has continued to evolve with multiple versions. As many as there are 'pizzaiolos' (people who make them). The base is the same: a dough of flour, salt, water and yeast. From there, it's up to the consumer. The most common formula is to cover the base with tomato sauce and then add the ingredients of your choice, from onion, ham and anchovies to ham, tuna, vegetables, bolognese and the controversial pineapple. However, we can also find the variant with a 'bianca' base, without tomato.

One of the advantages of pizza, apart from the fact that practically everyone likes it, is that it is an affordable and accessible recipe at home. We can make it with 400 grams of wheat flour, 200 ml of warm water, two tablespoons of olive oil, 15 grams of fresh yeast and a pinch of salt.

Put a little flour on the worktop to prevent it from sticking and knead until it is smooth (if it sticks, add more flour). This is the key, the kneading (it is recommended to do it by hand). When it is ready, let it rest for about an hour. Then it can be divided into two parts, kneaded and stretched to incorporate the ingredients. From there, it goes straight into the oven.