The pizza is known as being one of the tastiest and best-loved foods in the world, but it's really much more than that. The ingredients of the most popular pizza of all, the Margherita, make it a typical part of the Mediterranean diet: flour from cereals, water, olive oil, tomato and mozzarella cheese. Nowadays it can also be made with wholemeal flower and soya-based flours, and as for the toppings, there are no limits.

Being part of the Mediterranean diet means having certain qualities that can help to combat a number of illnesses typical to the Western world, such as heart disease, hypertension and arteriosclerosis. As well as that, it avoids the formation of uric acid, is easy to digest and, contrary to what you may think, isn't fattening. Remember that there is actually a pizza-based diet, with a different kind of pizza every evening. Its dietary properties derive from the fact that the carbohydrate compounds in the cereal flour are able to satisfy and provide constant energy to the organism without affecting the glucose level, thus satisfying hunger without creating the demand more food. To avoid any misunderstandings, though, you are advised to consult a dietician (preferably a doctor).

The pizza is basically eaten as a complete meal, (often combined with fruit and vegetables), and it's easy to understand why: the pastry is particularly rich in amino acids (the same level as meat!), the extra-virgin oil is extremely good for the organism as it is the finest, healthiest form of fat, rich in HDL (the 'good' cholesterol) and vitamins (A, D, E and K). And finally, the basic topping: tomato is an important source of vitamins and fresh mozzarella cheese contains two typical animal proteins, lysine and methionine.

As for the fragrances, basil has digestive and antinflammatory properties, garlic is a cardiotonic with diuretic and antisclerotic qualities as well as having an excellent antinflammatory effect in the intestines and, finally, oregano not only acts as an adjuvant against coughs, bronchitis and tracheitis, but also stimulates the appetite and is a precious painkiller for rheumatism and stiff necks.

Finally, the brewer's yeast used in the dough is one of the best sources of folic acid, vitamin B, phosphorous, potassium and magnesium.
It is fitting, therefore, that the most famous pizza of all has taken its name from a queen: Queen Margaret of Italy when she visited Naples in 1889. As tradition has it, the best Neapolitan pizza maker at the time, Raffaele Esposito, made three kinds of pizza for the Queen and her husband, Humbert I, and the one that was dedicated to her majesty had the colours of the Italian flag (tomato, mozzarella cheese, oil and oregano).

But the origins of the pizza are even older, no less than 400 years ago when they were looking for ways to make the Southern Italian bread 'schiacciata' more appetising: the first flavourings to be tried out were garlic, lard and salt or, alternatively, caciocavallo cheese and basil. Oil soon took over from the lard, and tomato started to be used after the discovery of America. The mozzarella cheese and tomato pizza thus dates back to mid 19th century Italy, and was exported to America and all over the world with the mass migratory movements of that period.

But this wasn't the only factor behind its expansion. Another important migratory phenomenon was the movement of Italians from the South to the North after the Second World War. The number of pizzerias grew steadily and are now more numerous in the North than in the South.

The third 'wave' of expansion was after the fall of the Berlin Wall, with the spread of the pizza to East European countries. And the next frontier is China, the new 'land of conquest' for the Western world, with the pizza ready and waiting to become part of the Chinese diet. It has, after all, has conquered all before it, and so why should China be any different?