Historian Luca Cesari is an expert on Italian food. In his new book, The History of Pizza, he explores the origins of this iconic Neapolitan dish, looks at the migration of pizza to the United States, and the evolution of the dish from working-class flatbread into global sensation. I caught up with him earlier this month to talk about the book.

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Summer tastes like Italian Ice. The sweet cold treat was introduced to American cities with Italian immigrant enclaves in the early 20th century. Those early vendors launched the Italian Ice industry from pushcarts selling penny licks before eventually growing a multi-million dollar industry.

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The feast of San Gennaro once hosted competitive eating contests for cannoli, meatballs, pizza, and zeppole, but then in 2023 all that changed. Here’s a look back at the history eating contests at the Feast.

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The French have never heard of it. Neither have most Italians. Today, it’s a widely eaten Italian American staple, an icon of wedding buffets for decades. So where did this buttery, lemony chicken come from?

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Italians settling in the Twin Cities developed a unique sandwich with spicy sausage known today by a slur for people of Italian heritage.

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Pesto sauce made in an electric food processor with basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmigiana, oil, salt and black pepper.

Spicy, creamy, and bright green, Pesto Genovese has become synonymous with modern Italian cuisine, particularly in the United States. But that wasn’t always the case…

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Tavern style pizza in Chicago is more common than deep dish

Chicago has a deep history of pizza, and there’s a lot more than the thick crust pizza most Americans associate with the windy city.

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Ray’s — or some variation of the original, famous pizzeria — because ubiquitous in New York City. And then the lawsuits began. A look at the pizza wars that gripped the many Ray’s of New York.

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What’s the difference between a slice and a piece of pizza? It’s a New York thing.

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No state has a larger percentage of residents with Italian heritage than Rhode Island, so it’s no surprise the Ocean State has its own unique style of pizza. What is surprising is this classic pizza doesn’t have any cheese.

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