Pizza: Our American obsession

Did you know?

When the Italian city of Naples was part of the Spanish Empire, food historians believe a Spanish viceroy brought tomato seeds to the Viceroy of Naples, creating the base for modern pizza.

Pizza! Who doesn’t enjoy it?

It’s beloved by kids and teens, adults, older adults, picky eaters, and … just about everybody. There is something about pizza that appeals to all.

But have you thought to wonder: Just what is pizza? Is it the round, thin pie of red sauce and mozzarella with a sprinkling of oregano? Does flatbread with caramelized onions and pine nuts qualify as pizza, as well?

Niles Peacock of Niles Peacock Kitchen & Bar in Edmonds has a thought: “Pizza is the original comfort food!”

So let’s go back in time. Humans have hungrily consumed flatbread with toppings since at least the eighth century. Persian soldiers carried baked breads with cheese and dates on their shields as they marched into battle.

Ancient Greeks enjoyed “plakous,” flatbread with herbs, onions, cheese, and garlic. A pizza-like meal of pita with veggies even shows up in Homer’s epic tale “The Iliad.”

The Alsatian flammkuchen, French tarte flambee, German zwiebelkuchen, and the rectangular coca coc from Valencia, Spain, all look a bit like pizza.

The word “pizza” first appeared in southern Italy in 997, and by the 16th century, Naples and pizza were just about synonymous. Naples grew into a bustling, densely populated waterfront city of laborers with little spare time and even less money, and pizza was cheap and easy to eat.

By the late 19th century, Naples was back under Italian control, and legend has it that Queen Margherita, bored with a fancy French diet, asked for this pizza she’d heard about. The Queen loved it, especially the version with mozzarella, red tomatoes, and green basil.

You know where this is headed – the Queen’s favorite was christened “Pizza Margherita.” (The colors on a margherita pizza resemble those of the Italian flag, so it was also an astute political act.) Pizza became a national cultural tradition, and soon after, Italians – looking for new lives in America – carried their recipes with them on their long voyages to New York.

Pizza in America

Pizza appeared in home kitchens and kiosks with the streaming of Italian immigrants to America, especially New York, but just like so many cuisines we now know well in the U.S., many Americans knew nothing of pizza until World War II.

Allied troops, stationed in Italy, loved the easy-to-eat and delicious food and sought it out after returning home. The pizza served by Italian immigrants in America, as well as versions across Europe, soon consolidated under a single, Napolitan-style pizza with a crunchy crust, foldable base, and traditional toppings.

Perhaps that early migration to New York is why pizza is still claimed by New Yorkers and East Coasters alike as being the country’s truest pizzas. That belief has made it as far as the Puget Sound.

In the words of the team at Mukilteo-based Brooklyn Bros. Pizza: “We cater to a lot of East Coast transplants. We love hearing from our guests that we provide them with a slice of home.”

Like New York, Seattle also experienced a wave of Italian immigration by the turn of the 20th century. The Rainier Valley became the center of the Italian community, with Manca’s Café thought to be the first Italian restaurant in Seattle.

The first pizza pie hit the Palace Grill menu in 1948, with several pizza chains popping up around Seattle, including Pizza Pete in 1957, Pagliacci in 1979, the tasty Zeeks in 1993, fast-growing MOD Pizza in 2008, and more recently, Tom Douglas’ fabulous Serious Pie (that Yukon Gold potato pizza is a stunner).

Today, south Snohomish County has its own pizza.

MUKILTEO

When I first visited Brooklyn Bros. Pizza in Mukilteo, a fellow East Coaster told me never to go anywhere else. It reminds me of the pizza place I loved as a kid in Philadelphia, and for good reason: “We strive to serve authentic New York pizza (no pineapple!),” said marketing manager Henry Yarsinske Jr., “and chose Everett for our first location based on the water quality and its similarities to Brooklyn tap water.”

Brooklyn Bros.’ dough is still hand-rolled daily at the Everett location, and the restaurant has a much-loved menu of classics, as well as Sicilian-style pizza – a thicker, rustic version. It’s difficult to decide between my beloved cheese pizza and the Signature NY Combos.

The Bensonhurst is a veggie delight, with artichoke hearts, olives, onion, sun-dried tomato, and roasted garlic, as is the very meaty alternative, the Bowery, with pepperoni, Italian sausage, and roasted garlic. Luckily, we can get more than one pizza and return day after day.

Brooklyn Bros. is proud of its presence in our area, founded in 2006 in downtown Everett using a “hard-won dough recipe and high-quality ingredients.” Brooklyn Bros. is my go-to pizza spot, and you will never be disappointed in Brooklyn with pizza. There are four locations, including Mukilteo on the Speedway and in Mill Creek on Main Street.

EDMONDS

In downtown Edmonds, there are a number of spots for a great pizza pie. Add the great atmosphere and a cocktail or two, and you’ve got a special night out.

Every night, Fire & The Feast, on Main Street, offers at least five specialty pizzas in its wood-fired oven. The restaurant has worked hard to perfect a gluten-free crust. The fantastic pizza crust is definitely the base of their variety of yummy pizzas, from the traditional Margherita to Spicy Sausage or the Primavera, laden with veggies.

Niles Peacock Kitchen & Bar is just a few blocks away in Edmonds, by the ferry. But this place exists on the other side of the pizza spectrum. Even if you are a pizza purist, like me, you quickly learn that Niles makes great pizza, and much of that is a result of his approach to the crust.

In addition to perfecting his recipe and approach, hiring one of the three American-certified Master Pizzaiolos, Peacock installed a double-decked Marsal pizza oven during the early days of the pandemic. When he was asked, “How good do you want to get at making pizzas?” he replied: “Among pizza chefs that are the best in the world, I want to be among that group.”

He’s on his way.

Peacock was recognized at the International Pizza Expo, winning first place for best nontraditional pizza in the Northwestern U.S., and he and his partner, Will Grant, recently returned from competing in Parm, Italy, with 770 pizza chefs from around the world.

Peacock was ranked in the top third with his American-style gourmet pizza, and Grant took seventh for best in the world.

Niles Peacock Kitchen & Bar offers two styles of sourdough: Artisan New York, and a signature five-day classic Detroit. The restaurant’s selection of pies ranges from the traditional pepperoni to the outrageous More Cow Bell and crave-worthy Breakfast for Dinner. (Imagine my surprise when I took a bite of the pesto sauce-topped crust with mozzarella, parmesan, bacon, and sunny-side eggs. So tasty.)

Peacock is also a recognized mixologist, and the cocktails at his restaurant are nothing short of marvelous.

Back on Main Street, Edmonds also became home to the wildly popular, self-described “Seattle’s Odd Pizza” place, Moto, when it opened a location in Edmonds in 2023.

You have to wait months for your preordered pizza or show up outside the doors well before opening time at 5 p.m. to get one of the few available on the same day. The pizza is thick and square and so very different, but once you bite into these creations, you understand the hype.

Toppings range from pork belly and lime sauce to clams and bacon, and even lemon, dill, and Dungeness crab. Moto may not serve pizza you have seen before, but life is meant to be lived and pizza meant to be eaten, so go for it.

MILL CREEK

Elliot Bay Pizza started in Seattle, but its Mill Creek location is locally owned and clearly beloved by its patrons. Its three-page menu features pizza, pasta, subs, and much more. Its classic cheese pizza and the Tivoli (pepperoni) bring together good ingredients and pizza-making skills – the marks of good pizza.

The restaurant offers a selection of five sauces and dozens of toppings, so you can build your own pizza. It’s rightfully proud of a selection of rotating beers on tap. The folks at Elliot Bay are also incredibly kind and fun, and their attention to detail makes you want to return.

WE ALL LOVE PIZZA

As soon as humans learned to bake bread, we put something else on top of it and began enjoying a version of this simple food. Pizza has become decidedly American – it is all things under one name and yet still fiercely individual, representing whatever regional ingredients we hold dear.

As Bill Murray once said: “Unless you are a pizza, the answer is yes, I can live without you.”