I just saw a show on the History channel called "America Eats: Pizza". I'm out of town so I couldn't TIVO it (Darn! I could have streamed it for everyone.)
It was excellent. The show covers the history of pizza starting way back in old Italy. They highlighted the old wood ovens and how the soil near Mt Vesuvius allows them to grow the best tomatoes (interesting considering our threads on San Marzano's)!
The program then takes you to New York and shows how a coal-fired "White Oven" works. All my questions answered with one show!
Then it shows the beginnings of early American pizzerias, Pizza Hut, Dominoes, and (gasp) frozen pizza, highlighting the advances in technology required for these industries.
It was humorous to see the different Pizza "Experts" arguing why their pizza cooking styles were the "best"... ie: Coal fired vs. wood fired; deep dish vs. thin, Dominoes vs. Pizza hut.
I checked the History Channel's website. The show isn't scheduled to be on again in the near future, but it's been played occasionally over the past year or so, so it'll be on again. Watch the schedules and keep your DVR, VCR, or TIVO ready!
It was excellent. The show covers the history of pizza starting way back in old Italy. They highlighted the old wood ovens and how the soil near Mt Vesuvius allows them to grow the best tomatoes (interesting considering our threads on San Marzano's)!
The program then takes you to New York and shows how a coal-fired "White Oven" works. All my questions answered with one show!
Then it shows the beginnings of early American pizzerias, Pizza Hut, Dominoes, and (gasp) frozen pizza, highlighting the advances in technology required for these industries.
It was humorous to see the different Pizza "Experts" arguing why their pizza cooking styles were the "best"... ie: Coal fired vs. wood fired; deep dish vs. thin, Dominoes vs. Pizza hut.
I checked the History Channel's website. The show isn't scheduled to be on again in the near future, but it's been played occasionally over the past year or so, so it'll be on again. Watch the schedules and keep your DVR, VCR, or TIVO ready!