Pizza has its origins in Naples, Italy, as typical street food made of flatbread with olive oil and tomatoes. Three varieties of pizza have led the charge in capturing the imagination and taste buds of the world: marinara, Margherita and alla Napoletana.

Pizza marinara is made from tomatoes, oregano, garlic and olive oil, and is said to get its name from “la marinara” the wife of a seaman, who would make this for her husband on his return from fishing in the Bay of Naples.

A visit to Naples by Queen Margherita of Savoy in June 1189 inspired one enterprising Neapolitan pizza maker, Raffaele Esposito, to create pizza Margherita with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. Meanwhile, it is in Pellegrino Artusi’s early 20th-century cookbook La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene (Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well) that the first published recipe for pizza alla Napoletana — mozzarella, tomatoes and anchovies — is found.

Marinara, Margherita, and alla Napoletana spread through Italy and with the addition of a variety of other toppings, this pizza trinity has become popular throughout, thanks to Italian immigrants, who opened small pizzerias wherever they settled.

Pizza made in Naples is thicker and softer with an abundant “cornicione” or border, while in Rome, pizza is made thinner and crisper. Nowadays, the Roman-style pizza is preferred.

Here at the Grog Shoppe, we thought that there was a need in Jamaica for a thin crust Roman style pizza, reproducing authentic Italian flavours even while incorporating some of the best-loved Jamaican flavours. Thus, we created La Pizzeria, bringing into the island the most advanced brick oven and other essential machinery and ingredients from Italy. Through his constant work on developing a dough that is perfect for this climate, both classic Italian and traditional Jamaican flavours, and by experimenting with new shapes and forms, master pizzaiolo Massimiliano “Max” Proner has created some of the best pizza on the planet, including the now-famous “Yard Pizza.”

— Tarquinio Calderelli, co-managing director, The Grog Shoppe

La PizzeriaDevon House26 Hope RoadKingston 1011:00 am – 10:00 pm