From Naples to Osaka, cultures across the world have devised their own versions of topped flatbreads. Different names, ingredients and techniques exist, yet the idea of bread carrying flavour unites them all

Across centuries and continents, people have placed toppings on bread. It is such a simple culinary idea that it appears almost inevitable. Long before the global rise of modern pizza, cooks everywhere were already pairing flat dough with oils, herbs, vegetables or meat.

The famous Neapolitan pizza may dominate the global imagination, yet the concept behind it is older and wider than Italy itself. In essence, pizza is simply bread used as a base for flavour. That idea appears wherever grain is milled, dough is rolled and heat is applied.

Ancient civilisations practised this habit. The Greeks baked , flat breads finished with olive oil, herbs and cheese. Roman cooks prepared similar breads topped with an ancient preserved fish sauce called , vegetables and honey. These dishes were not pizza in the modern sense, yet they demonstrate how familiar the concept was long before tomatoes reached Europe.

Italy’s many flatbreads