A popular anecdote once claimed that Marco Polo fell in love with northern Chinese scallion oil pies during his travels in China, and after failing to recreate them back in Italy, accidentally invented pizza. That story even became a classic gag in the Hong Kong comedy Kung Fu Vs. Acrobatic. However, the true origin of pizza is another story.
Around 2,000 years ago, frescoes unearthed in the ancient Italian city of Pompeii already depicted images of baked flatbreads, which are widely considered a precursor to pizza. Naples, now recognized as the birthplace of modern pizza, lies just 23 kilometers from the ruins of Pompeii. As a quintessential Italian national dish, the classic Margherita pizza is baked with tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, and basil leaves—its red, white, and green colors cleverly echoing the national flag of Italy. Notably, the art of Neapolitan pizza-making has been inscribed on UNESCO's "Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity."
On the other side of the world, China's "pizza", shaobing (baked bread), also boasts a long history. According to legend, it was introduced to central China during the Eastern Han dynasty by Ban Chao, a general who traveled to the Western Regions. Known in ancient times as "barbarian bread" (hubing), it was often topped with sesame seeds, also originating from the Western Regions. By the Tang dynasty, hubing had become a popular street food in its capital, Chang'an (modern-day Xi'an).
Both pizza and shaobing were once humble staples that filled the stomachs of common people. Their relationship is more of a fascinating coincidence in the culinary history of humanity—each evolving through its own long historical journey to develop its own unique flavors.
(Reporter: Clara; Editor: Bernhard; English Editor: Darius)
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