The pizza as we know it today with it's various toppings, including tomatoes, originated in Naples in Italy, but there are versions of pizza dated from before the tomato was cultivated in Europe.

Elizabeth David wonders if a dish called Pissaladiere, found in the Provence region of France, is the mother of the Pizza. Pissaladiere is made on a bread dough but is topped with masses of onions, anchovies and olives. Elizabeth David suggests that it was introduced to France by Roman cooks in the 14th Century when the Popes were in Avignon.

One of the most enduring myths about pizza is that Roman legionaries used to bake them on their shields after fermenting the dough under helmets as they marched to their conquest. One wonders how they kept up their supplies of mozzarella and oregano.........