Pizza’s Italian Roots In America

Pizza is one of the most popular foods not only here in the States, but around the world as well. It's not surprising with the popularity of pizza that we have some historic pizzerias here in America. 24/7 Tempo did a recent article "The 15 Oldest Pizzerias in America" and two of the 15 most historic pizza joints are right here in the Garden State. "Pizza arrived in America sometime in the late 19th century, and the earliest pizzerias probably opened just before the dawn of the 20th. The people responsible for bringing pizza to these shores, hardly surprisingly, were immigrants from Naples, where pizza had evolved out of rustic flatbreads sometime in the late 18th century. These newcomers settled mostly in New York (especially New York City) and New Jersey, and slightly later in Connecticut, which is why 14 of the 15 pizzerias on this list are in those three states — each of which developed its own signature variations on the Neapolitan original, as many other places have done since."

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Here in New Jersey, we have two historic pizzerias on the TOP 15 list. Coming in at number nine is Sciortino's in Perth Amboy. According to 24/7 Tempo, "Sciortino's has come full circle. It was opened in Perth Amboy by Paolo and Francis Sciortino in 1932 (some sources say 1934), and thrived until 2003, when the city took over the site by eminent domain for an urban renewal project. A year later, the Sciortino family reopened in more elaborate form as Sciortino's Harbor Lights, just across the Raritan River in South Amboy. That place is still going strong, but in 2012, the pizzeria reopened in Perth Amboy, where it is now operated by a fourth generation of Sciortinos."

Next on the TOP 15 from New Jersey, comes in at number two on the list. Papa's Tomato Pies in Robbinsville. "After Giuseppe "Joe" Papa arrived in New Jersey in 1910, he got a job — at the age of 15 — at the first pizzeria in Trenton, Joe's Tomato Pies (which closed in the 1990s). Two years later, he opened his own place, which today holds the honor of being the oldest family-owned and continuously operated pizzeria in America."

So New Jersey is well represented in the "historic pizzeria" category with both Papa's Tomato Pies and Sciortino's making the TOP 15 list. Have you been to either location? Give us your review and post your comments below.