Ridiculous History

The Ridiculous Secret of "Supreme" Pizza

11 snips
Mar 24, 2026
A playful deep dive into what makes a pizza
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INSIGHT

Tomatoes Made Modern Pizza Possible

  • Tomatoes reached Europe from the Americas and became central to pizza, despite early North American distrust tied to nightshade associations.
  • Hosts note tomatoes likely came from Peru and were cultivated by the Incas before spreading north and to Europe.
ANECDOTE

Queen Margherita Made Pizza Respectable

  • Noel tells the classic origin of Margherita pizza: Queen Margherita's 1889 Naples visit popularized tomato, mozzarella, and basil as a royal-endorsed pie.
  • That royal cosign lifted pizza from peasant food into mainstream Italian cuisine.
INSIGHT

Supreme Pizza Is American Excess

  • Supreme pizza is an American escalation of pizza defined more by sheer variety and excess than a codified ingredient list.
  • Ben and Noel trace it to U.S. chains prioritizing bigger, marketable pies rather than traditional Italian rules, making "supreme" flexible by design.
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