Students will learn the history of pizza and identify ingredients on pizza. They will learn how Michigan is suited to grow certain crops, which are used on pizza.

Objectives:

Students will be able to describe the origins of pizza and understand what foods are on pizza and that these ingredients are grown in Michigan

Time Needed:

One class period

Materials:

• One large outline map of Michigan
• Picture of Italian flag
• pictures of various pizza ingredients

Background Information:

Basic pizza probably began in prehistoric time when people cooked bread on flat stones. Then about a 1000 years ago circles of baked dough covered with hers and spices called "focaccia" became very popular in Naples, Italy. People ate them as snacks or appetizers. Leftovers were placed on these rounds. They were designed to be eaten without utensils. In the late 17th century peasants in Naples, Italy became the first to place tomatoes on their focaccia.

Then in 1830 the world’s first pizzeria was opened in Italy. Pizza as we know it today didn’t come about until 1889 when Italian queen Margherita Teresa Giovanni visited Naples. Don Raffaele Esposito owned a tavern called Pietro II Pizzaiolo. He was asked to make a special dish to honor the Queen. Esposito created a unique pizza with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil. Those red, white and green ingredients were the colors of the Italian flag. This dish was called Margherita Pizza. Pizza became an international sensation in the 20th century with different countries adding different toppings. As the 20th century becomes the 21st, pizza remains a favorite.

Because of its unique geography and varied climate, farmers in Michigan are able to grow ingredients used in pizza. Pizza is basically a crust made of flour, eggs, and oil. Tomato sauce and cheese are placed on top of this crust. Then toppings (there are many choices!) are put on tops. Onions, mushrooms, extra cheese, pepperoni, hamburger and green peppers are among those choices that are grown in Michigan.

So you want to grow or produce the ingredients needed for pizza. Here are the great reasons to become a farmer!

• You love the land.
• You love to grow things or raise animals
• You want to be independent and run your own business.
• You welcome the challenges of a complicated farm operation
• You want to work outside with plants and animals.

Here are the challenges you might face as a farmer:

You have to care for the land. You have to fertilize, preserve, and make it good for growing. You have to care for animals.

You have to decide which kinds of land can be used for which activities. Rolling land doesn’t work for growing most crops but it’s good for grazing animals.

• You have to decide where to farm and what to grow or raise.
  --Do you want a herd of dairy cows?
  --Do you want to grow soybeans?
  --Are there fields you wish to alternate crops on?

Activities:

Talk with students about the development of pizza. Have students talk about why it might have been a good idea to develop a food that could be eaten without utensils. Show students a map of Michigan. Talk about growing foods in Michigan that are used in pizza. Why might that be a profitable idea? Have students list all the ingredients that they have eaten on a pizza. Also, let them create one "fantasy" pizza with ingredients they might like to have on a pizza.

Pizza is a product whose ingredients are grown on a farm. Discuss with your students the Don’t want to be a farmer? Brainstorm on all the other jobs available that are connected with pizza. Some examples are packaging for pizza, advertising for pizza, delivery, making and operating a pizza restaurant. Or maybe you and your students just want to be loyal eaters of pizza!