Celebrate a Symbol of Italian Heritage in Southern Utah

February 9th is a day to celebrate one of the world's favorite foods, pizza.

One of my core pizza memories is getting personal pan pizzas from Pizza Hut for reading as part of the Book It! program.

Pizza has a long and ancient history long before my beloved Book It! memories.

According to Medium, pizza has ancient origins. The Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all enjoyed flatbreads topped with various ingredients. These early precursors laid the foundation for what would eventually become the pizza we know and love. 

According to History.com, "Naples was founded around 600 B.C. as a Greek settlement and became a thriving waterfront city in the 1700s and 1800s. It was a city known for its working poor who required inexpensive food that could be eaten quickly. Flatbreads with various toppings were sold by street vendors or informal restaurants. These early pizzas included toppings like tomatoes, cheese, oil, anchovies, and garlic."

In the 19th century, the modern pizza was born in Naples, Italy. The story goes that in 1899 pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito created the Pizza Margherita to hoor Queen Margherita of Italy. The pizza would include tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil to symbolize the Italian flag.

Pizza came to the United States when Italian immigrants brought pizza with them in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Here are some local Cedar City spots to celebrate National Pizza Day.

Centro Woodfired Pizzeria: 50 West Center Street 

Pizza Cart: 1190 Sage Drive

Brunos Italian Deli: 1744 West Royal Hunt Drive 

Pizza Factory: 131 South Main Street