When most people think of Mario Bros., their minds immediately go to Mario, which makes sense, since his name is in the title. But Luigi, in my opinion, has the superior taste. Take his favorite food, for example: pizza. Pizza might seem simple, but it’s actually a deeply underrated dish with a rich, complex history, one that still holds many hidden stories waiting to be uncovered.
M. P. Marino and M.S. Crocco with a background History Education and Social Studies backgrounds talks about how pizza can teach us a lot about US identity, culture, and history. By taking a closer look into different regions pizza, specifically Trenton’s, it shows us different narratives of immigration, labor, and historical change. Pizza represents identity for many neighborhoods in the US.
Liora Gvion and Nir Avieli Trostler with backgrounds in Sociology, Anthropology, and Cultural Studies talk about how ethnic dishes are not preserved how they once were, but instead are changed to mainstream American tastes. For instances the other source also talks about how pizza expresses cultural identity. This highlights how America has taken the Italian immigrant identity and changed it to suit the mainstream population, stripping it of its ethnic identity.
By scrolling through my ten map entries, the audience will understand how pizza reflects and effects culture, the economy and the environment. Each entry highlights an important event in pizza history showing how pizza is shaped by immigration, industrialization, and consumer ethics. Pizza connects humans in unique ways, to some it is a cultural dish to other it is a comfort food, but no matter how, we are connected to pizza and it is a part of all our lives.
This topic matters because pizza to many is more than just a meal—it’s a lens for understanding change. Its journey from Naples to global highlights key themes in Americas history of immigration, urbanization, labor shifts, and cultural shifts. Pizza also reveals how food choices are tangled with environmental impact and identity politics. By looking at how pizza immigrated, we uncover how everyday foods carry deep symbolic weight. pizza’s story is the story of identity
Sources:
Katz, Solomon H., editor. Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2003. 3 vols. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3403400478/GVRL?u=ohlnk162&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=4529aacc. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
Marino, M. P., & Crocco, M. S. (2015). Pizza: Teaching US History through Food and Place. Social Studies, 106(4), 149–158. https://research.ebsco.com/c/6uxpnv/viewer/pdf/o7heqsaion
GVION, L. and TROSTLER, N. (2008), From Spaghetti and Meatballs through Hawaiian Pizza to Sushi: The Changing Nature of Ethnicity in American Restaurants. The Journal of Popular Culture, 41: 950-974. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5931.2008.00559.x
Moresi, M., Falciano, A., Cimini, A., & Masi, P. (2024). Unveiling the carbon footprint of True Neapolitan Pizza: paving the way for eco-friendly practices in pizzerias. Italian Journal of Food Science / Rivista Italiana Di Scienza Degli Alimenti, 36(4), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.15586/ijfs.v36i4.2598
“Canadian Inventor of Hawaiian Pizza Defends Pineapple after Iceland’s President Disses Fruit Topping.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 12 Oct. 2017, www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-tuesday-edition-1.3991263/canadian-inventor-of-hawaiian-pizza-defends-pineapple-after-iceland-s-president-disses-fruit-topping-1.3992890. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
“Iceland’s President Forced to Clarify Views on Pineapple Pizza Ban.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 21 Feb. 2017, www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/21/icelands-president-would-ban-pineapple-on-pizza-if-he-could.
Oldest Pizzeria in the world. n.d. Belo pizzeria. https://belopizza.com/f/what-is-the-oldest-pizzeria-in-the-world
An Italian is forced to watch the first time pineapple is added to a pizza, Brooklyn, New York 1924. n.d. Know Your Meme. https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/3085006
N.d. America’s First Pizzeria. https://www.firstpizza.com/
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Wall painting from the Tomb of the Leopards in the necropolis at Tarquinia in Italy showing a banquet scene. The Collector, https://www.italyperfect.com/blog/etruscan-history-italy.htm
pizza margherita – neapolitan style. Glebe Kitchen, https://glebekitchen.com/pizza-margherita-neapolitan-style/
A neon sign of the word “pizza.” Crust Kingdom, https://www.crustkingdom.com/how-did-pizza-get-its-name/
An Italian power plant. EARTH.ORG, https://earth.org/italy-nuclear/
Queen Margherita of Savoy next to a margherita pizza. ALFA, https://www.alfaforni.com/en/the-history-of-the-pizza-margherita/
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