For the Love of Pizza

The history of pizza is long and contested, some say that it originates with the greeks, who topped their bread with oils and herbs, and sometimes cheese, the more accepted story, is that it was created in Naples, where it evolved from the garlic, cheese and basil topped flatbreads which somewhat resemble modern focaccia.

Popular legend holds that the modern neapolitan pizza was created in 1889 when, in honour of the visiting Queen Margherita, a local pizzaiolo created a pizza in her honour, which he swathed in the colours of the italian flag, using red tomato sauce, white mozzarella and green basil. According to recent research, this story is total baloney, but it's a rather nice tale nonetheless.

I am not a food snob, my love of pub grub and greasy spoons is well documented and is mostly lampooned by my friends, however, I will admit that when it comes to pizza, I prefer something slightly more refined than your average take-away can deliver. Maybe living in Italy for a year has destroyed my ability to enjoy doughy take-out pie, but after living in a country where you can buy the most amazing pizza on the street for a mere euro, it is difficult to spend a tenner for a pizza that usually ends up being a thorough disappointment.

My ideal pizza is always topped with artichoke hearts, I am almost addicted to these as a topping, they are simply fabulous, and have been my favorite for as long as I can remember. Also brilliant is asparagus. I am fairly indifferent to asparagus generally, except in this case. Rocket is also great when added after the pizza has been cooked, adding a crunchy freshness to the pizza.

Finally, egg. Egg makes the most wonderful pizza topping, baked on top of the pizza so that the white has cooked and the yolk is still runny, providing some much needed lubrication. The use of egg on pizza is highly controversial in my family, and for those who haven't tried it is sounds bizarre and horrific, but it's one of my favorites.