Pizza’s Journey From Naples to New York’s Little Italy
Pizza’s story begins far from the neon-lit windows of modern pizzerias. The word pizza was first documented in 997 CE in Gaeta, though foods similar to pizza have been prepared since ancient times, with Persian soldiers serving under Darius the Great baking flatbreads with cheese and dates on top of their battle shields in the 6th century BCE. While ancient Greeks made a flatbread called plakous with herbs and cheese, the pizza we recognize today took a completely different path.
One of the generally accepted early US businesses to sell pizza, Lombardi’s, opened in 1905 as a pizzeria, having started as a grocery store in 1897 at 53½ Spring Street, with tomato pies wrapped in paper and tied with a string sold at lunchtime to workers from the area’s factories. What’s fascinating is that this Italian-American staple began as a humble flatbread in Naples, but transformed dramatically after crossing the Atlantic as early Italian immigrants to the United States adapted their traditional recipes using local ingredients, creating something new yet familiar. The generous toppings and thick, cheesy crusts that characterize American pizza would be barely recognizable to those original Neapolitan pizza makers.
Pasta’s Ancient Roots Stretch Across Three Continents
The oldest recorded references to noodles come from China, where a 4,000-year-old bowl of millet noodles was discovered at the Lajia archaeological site in northwestern China in 2005, preserved in an overturned clay bowl. However, the popular story about Marco Polo bringing pasta from China is completely wrong. Pasta can be traced back as far as the 4th century B.C., where an Etruscan tomb showed a group of natives making what appears to be pasta, with archeological evidence for the existence of pasta in the Etruscan civilization depicted in tools and kitchen utensils used to roll and form pasta very similar to those still in use today.
The real surprise comes from the Middle East’s contribution to pasta history. Arabic culinary traditions from at least the 9th century CE mention a dried pasta known as “itriyya”, which was made from wheat and could be stored for long periods – perfect for trade and long journeys, with a 9th-century text by Ibn al-Mibrad from modern-day Iraq describing boiled dough strips resembling vermicelli. Because of pasta, first Italian immigrants were able to withstand homesickness and discrimination and climb up the social ladder to where they are today, allowing Italian-Americans to connect with their heritage.
Tacos Al Pastor’s Lebanese Heart Beats in Mexico
Here’s where things get truly unexpected. The origins of al pastor can be traced directly to a significant wave of Middle Eastern immigration to Mexico during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with between 1880 and 1950, over 100,000 Arabic speakers, predominantly from Lebanon, arriving in Mexico seeking economic opportunity and fleeing political instability in their homeland. What these immigrants brought wasn’t just recipes – they brought an entire cooking technique.
Taco al pastor, the classic Mexican street food that’s popular in the US, has roots in a surprising place: the Middle East, thanks to immigrants from the former Ottoman Empire, where the classic street dish of shawarma morphed into the beloved taco of today. They take the technology that they grew up with in Lebanese restaurants, the vertical rotisserie – but instead of using lamb, they use pork, marinating it in a red chili sauce, which gives it that distinctive color. Even the term “al pastor,” which means “in the style of the shepherd,” is a direct nod to the original Middle Eastern lamb version. The mystery of why pineapple tops these tacos remains unsolved, with one chef calling it “one of history’s most delicious mysteries”.
Ramen’s Chinese Heritage Lives On in Japanese Bowls
Japan’s ramen, initially Chinese, has become a Japanese staple, with the dish’s adaptability allowing it to flourish in various forms, from the tonkotsu broth of Kyushu to the miso variant of Hokkaido. This transformation represents one of the most successful cultural adaptations in food history. What started as simple Chinese noodle soup evolved into something uniquely Japanese through centuries of refinement and regional innovation.
Today, ramen has become so associated with Japanese culture that many people forget its Chinese origins entirely. The art of ramen-making in Japan has reached levels of precision that would astonish its original creators. Each region developed its own distinct style, from the clear, delicate broths of Tokyo to the rich, milky tonkotsu of Kyushu. Just like the Korean taco, ramen al pastor could only have originated in California, where Chef Kenneth Nguyen is mixing Asha noodles and lemongrass al pastor, showing how ramen continues to be transformed into different iterations.
Tempura’s Portuguese Missionary Connection to Japan
Japanese tempura developed after Portuguese missionaries introduced deep-frying techniques in the 16th century. This culinary exchange happened during one of the most isolated periods in Japanese history, making it even more remarkable. The Portuguese didn’t just bring Christianity to Japan – they brought cooking techniques that would become fundamental to Japanese cuisine.
During the 16th century when Portuguese sailors ended up on the shores of Japan, one of the sailors’ favorite foods was peixinhos da horta (little fishes from the garden) because it was fried and therefore better preserved, and Portuguese people would also eat this around the time of Lent because eating these fried morsels felt like they were still eating meat. The Japanese took this frying technique and refined it into the delicate, crispy coating we know as tempura. What’s fascinating is how tempura became so thoroughly Japanese that most people today have no idea it started with Portuguese missionaries trying to observe religious dietary restrictions.
Pad Thai’s Chinese Wok Meets Thai Flavors
Thailand’s national dish hides a secret ingredient that might surprise you. While much of the flavor profile of pad thai is Thai and the sauces and pastes that some chefs add to the dish are also of Thai origins, the base of the dish – the stir-frying of noodles in a wok – is Chinese, with what is still known as the Thai national dish likely coming from the Chinatown in Bangkok, where thousands of ethnic Chinese still reside. This fusion represents how immigrant communities can create dishes that become more associated with their adopted country than their homeland.
Rice is the staple food of Thailand, yet their most famous noodle dish uses Chinese cooking techniques with Thai ingredients. The irony is delicious – literally. Pad Thai emerged as a symbol of Thai identity, yet it perfectly demonstrates how cultural mixing creates something entirely new. Today, when people think of Thai food, Pad Thai often comes to mind first, despite its Chinese cooking foundation.
Vietnamese Bánh Mì’s French Colonial Legacy
The Vietnamese bánh mì sandwich combines French baguettes with Vietnamese fillings, a delicious legacy of French colonial presence, with military occupations, colonial encounters, and trade relationships having shaped global comfort foods. This sandwich represents one of the most successful examples of colonial culinary fusion, where the colonized culture took elements from their colonizers and made them their own.
The bánh mì showcases how Vietnamese cooks transformed French bread-making techniques and adapted them with local ingredients like pickled vegetables, cilantro, and Vietnamese cold cuts. What emerged was neither fully French nor traditionally Vietnamese, but something entirely new. The crispy baguette provides the perfect vessel for the complex flavors of Vietnamese cuisine, creating a portable meal that has conquered street food scenes worldwide.
Currywurst’s Post-War Berlin Innovation
On September 4, 1949, a strange thing happened at a food cart in Berlin’s Charlottenburg district, specifically, on the corner of Kaiser-Friedrich Strasse and Kant Strasse, where enterprising and apparently creative Herta Heuwer had a food cart. This single moment created one of Germany’s most beloved comfort foods. Like a lot of the comfort food dishes we eat and take for granted today, the currywurst came into being due to history-making events, a little bit of creativity and a desire to eat something delicious.
Currywurst emerged from the chaos of post-war Germany, when Allied forces brought new ingredients and techniques to a devastated nation. Heuwer’s creation – sliced bratwurst topped with curry-spiced ketchup – became a symbol of Germany’s reconstruction. It represented the country’s openness to foreign influences while maintaining its own culinary identity. Today, Germans consume millions of currywurst annually, making it more popular than many traditional German dishes.
Chicken Tikka Masala’s British-Indian Restaurant Romance
Despite being called Britain’s national dish, chicken tikka masala has origins that food historians still debate fiercely. Some claim it was invented in Glasgow by Bangladeshi chefs trying to satisfy British palates, while others trace it to Punjab. What’s not debatable is how it represents the complex relationship between colonial Britain and the Indian subcontinent.
This creamy, mildly spiced dish emerged from the Indian restaurant kitchens of Britain, where South Asian immigrant chefs adapted traditional recipes for local tastes. The result was something that pleased British diners while maintaining Indian cooking techniques. Chicken tikka masala became more popular in Britain than many traditional British dishes, showing how immigrant communities can reshape a nation’s culinary landscape. It’s now found in Indian restaurants worldwide, despite being largely unknown in India itself.
Pierogi’s Medieval Journey From China to Poland
Perhaps the most widespread example is the humble dumpling, from Polish pierogi to Italian ravioli, Chinese jiaozi to Argentinian empanadas, with nearly every culture developing some version of dough wrapped around filling, suggesting something universally appealing about the format. Poland’s beloved pierogi tell a story of medieval trade routes and cultural exchange that spans continents.
Legend suggests that pierogi arrived in Poland through Marco Polo’s travels, but historians believe they developed independently or came through earlier trade connections with Asia. What’s remarkable is how each culture that adopted dumplings made them their own. Polish pierogi filled with potatoes, cheese, or sauerkraut became comfort food for immigrants throughout Eastern Europe and North America. Potatoes figured heavily on the comfort menu – mashed, roasted, fried, or in dumplings like pierogies, with pasta also being a top contender. The emotional connection people have to pierogies demonstrates how food carries cultural memory across generations.
