A slice through time: The history of pizza

LIFESTYLE NEWS - Now in its fifth year, the Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge sees the public voting for their favourite local pizzeria via a dedicated website – see the competition details below.

In honour of this fun, annual competition, we look at the history of the pizza and its establishment as an all-time favourite food for South Africans of all ages.

One of the world’s most beloved foods, the pizza boasts a rich and flavourful history that stretches back thousands of years.

Though it’s often associated with Italy, and rightfully so, the story of pizza begins long before tomato sauce met mozzarella cheese in a Neapolitan oven.

From ancient flatbreads to the modern-day delivery pizza, the journey of this iconic dish is a tale of cultural exchange, innovation and culinary passion.

The earliest ancestors of pizza were flatbreads topped with herbs and oils; a concept found in many ancient cultures. In ancient Egypt, flatbreads were cooked on hot stones and often used in religious rituals.

The Greeks and Romans enjoyed similar dishes, such as the Roman panis focacius, a flatbread topped with olive oil and spices – an early cousin of focaccia.

However, these early forms of pizza lacked one key ingredient: tomatoes. Native to the Americas, tomatoes didn’t make their way to Europe until the 16th century, after the Columbian Exchange.

Initially believed to be poisonous, it would take nearly two centuries for tomatoes to find their way into the European diet, and onto flatbreads.

Modern pizza as we know it originated in Naples, Italy, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Naples was a bustling port city with a large population of working-class people in need of inexpensive, quick, and satisfying food.

Street vendors sold flatbreads topped with tomatoes, garlic, cheese, anchovies and herbs. This was the birth of true Neapolitan pizza.

One of the most famous legends in pizza history involves Queen Margherita of Savoy. In 1889, during a visit to Naples, she reportedly grew tired of French cuisine and requested to try the local fare.

A pizzaiolo named Raffaele Esposito prepared three types of pizza for her, one of which featured tomatoes (red), mozzarella (white), and basil (green), the colours of the Italian flag. The queen’s favourite became known as Pizza Margherita, cementing its place in culinary history.

Pizza made its first appearance in South Africa through Italian immigrants in the early to mid-20th century.

While the country did not have large-scale Italian immigration like the US or Argentina, a modest number of Italians arrived during and after World War 2, bringing with them their culinary traditions, including pasta, espresso and pizza.

Initially, pizza remained a niche food enjoyed mainly in Italian households or specialty restaurants in the major cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban.

The real turning point in pizza’s popularity in South Africa came in the 1980s and 1990s. Several factors contributed to its rise: Urbanisation and globalisation exposed South Africans to more international cuisines; the end of apartheid and opening of South Africa to global trade in the early 1990s brought a wave of foreign brands and fast-food chains; increased tourism influenced the demand for Western-style foods.

One of the most notable events was the arrival of Debonairs Pizza, a local franchise started by two university students in Pietermaritzburg in 1991.

Debonairs was designed with a South African market in mind and quickly became a national success, setting itself apart with options like the Triple-Decker and Crammed-Crust pizzas.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, global pizza chains entered the South African market, including: Pizza Hut (owned by Yum! Brands); Domino’s Pizza (which had a short-lived presence, arriving in 2014 and exiting in 2020) and Roman’s Pizza, another popular local brand known for its affordable prices and double-pizza deals.

These brands helped cement pizza’s place in South African fast-food culture, making it accessible across socio-economic groups and geographic areas.

As pizza spread across the country, it began to reflect local tastes and ingredients. South Africans developed a preference for bold, spicy, and meat-heavy toppings such as boerewors, peri-peri chicken, biltong and chakalaka, with paneer and curry-style toppings popular in KwaZulu-Natal.

Today, pizza is a major player in South Africa’s food economy, and you’ll find it in fast food outlets in every major city and many smaller towns as well as at upscale restaurants offering wood-fired, gourmet, and artisan pizzas and township eateries and street vendors, where local flair and innovation shine.

Additionally, South Africa’s diverse population has given rise to fusion pizzas, incorporating influences from African, Indian, Cape Malay, and even Portuguese culinary traditions.

Pizza in South Africa is no longer just an imported novelty, it's a local favourite, embraced and adapted by a wide range of communities. From boerewors toppings to budget-friendly combos, pizza has taken on a distinct South African identity while still honouring its Italian roots.

As food trends continue to evolve, so too will South African pizza, always familiar, but never boring.

Here are three delicious and distinct pizza recipes, each with its own style and flavour profile - from traditional Italian to a fun twist on a classic.

Classic Margherita Pizza (Neapolitan Style)

Ingredients

250g ball of pizza dough
85g San Marzano crushed tomatoes
100g fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces
Fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of sea salt
Semolina or flour for dusting

Method

Preheat oven to 250°C. If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven to preheat as well.
On a floured surface, stretch the dough into a thin circle – roughly 25cms in diameter. Spread the crushed tomatoes evenly over the dough. Add mozzarella pieces evenly on top.
Sprinkle a pinch of salt and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 7–10 minutes until the crust is puffed and charred, and the cheese is melted. Top with fresh basil leaves before serving.

Freshly baked margherita pizza with mozzarella cheese and basil leaves.BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ingredients

250g ball of pizza dough
85g BBQ sauce (plus extra for drizzling)
1 cup cooked chicken breast, shredded
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup smoked gouda or cheddar (optional)
Fresh coriander (for garnish)

Method

Preheat oven to 220°C. Roll out your dough on a baking sheet or pizza pan to 25cm diameter. Spread BBQ sauce over the dough.
Sprinkle with mozzarella and smoked cheese (if using). Distribute chicken and red onion slices over the cheese.
Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the crust is golden and cheese is bubbly. Drizzle with extra BBQ sauce and garnish with chopped fresh coriander before serving.

Pesto & Veggie Pizza (vegetarian)

Ingredients

250g ball of pizza dough
¼ cup basil pesto
½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ courgette, thinly sliced
¼ red capsicum, thinly sliced
½ cup feta, crumbled
Rocket
Olive oil, salt, and pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 220°C. Roll out the dough and place on a baking tray or pizza stone.
Spread pesto as the base sauce, and top with courgette slices, cherry tomatoes and capsicum slices. Sprinkle over the crumbled feta then drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Bake for 12–15 minutes until golden and bubbly. Top with fresh rocket just before serving.

Competition details

The restaurant with the most votes will be crowned South Africa's favourite pizzeria, picking up the ultimate bragging rights as well as wine and marketing collateral to the value of R40 000.

The Top 10 restaurants will win R1 800 in vouchers plus three cases of wine to award to their top servers.

Consumers voting for their favourite venue can win a weekly prize of six bottles of Porcupine Ridge wines and EarthFire pizza accessories, with one voter selected Grand Prize Winner at the end of the competition and receiving an EarthFire Tabletop Pizza Oven, pizza for a year (to the value of R2 000) and five cases of Porcupine Ridge Wines, for a combined value of R10 000.

The competition is now on with the last day of voting being October 31 and the Top 10 announced in mid-November.

Vegetarian pizza. Images: Supplied