Pizza is the most ubiquitous of fast foods. It can be bought everywhere. It has a soft base and is loaded with a variety of cheeses, meats, salamis, fish and even pineapple. But this modern Italian-American pizza is a far cry from the original pizzas.

Pizza has a long history in Mediterranean food. It goes back to the kind of flat bread that was made and sold all over the Mediterranean and Middle East. Flat bread of this kind would often be spread with oil and seasoned with olives, garlic and herbs, or dates.