Pizza is an oven baked, flat, round bread with a various toppings. Pizza was originally invented in Italy and has since become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a “pizzeria”. Many varieties of pizza exist worldwide.

Some mass produced pizzas by food chains have been criticized as having an unhealthy balance of ingredients. But consumption of the antioxidant lycopene present in tomato products often used on pizza has a beneficial health effect.

In restaurants, pizza can be baked in an oven with stone bricks above the heat source, an electric deck oven, a conveyor belt oven or a coal fired brick oven. A grilled pizza is baked directly on the hot bricks or on an aluminium screen. Greek pizza ans Chicago style pizza are baked in a pan.

The bottom of the pizza is called the “crust”. It may vary widely according to the style and be thin as in a hand-tossed pizza or Roman pizza, or thick as in a typical pan pizza. It is either plain or seasoned with garlic or herbs, or stuffed with cheese.

In frozen pizzas, a modified form of corn starch is used as a moisture barrier between the sauce and crust. The dough is partially baked and other ingredients are precooked. There are frozen pizzas with raw ingredients and self-rising crusts.

A form of uncooked pizza is available from take and bake pizzerias. This pizza is created fresh using raw ingredients, then sold to customers to bake in their own ovens and microwaves. Pizzas may be high in salt, fat and calories. There are concerns about negative health effects.

European nutrition research on the eating habits of people with cancer of the mouth, esophagus throat or colon showed those who ate pizza at least once a week had less chance of developing cancer. Lycopene, an antioxidant chemical present in tomatoes, offers some protection against cancer.

A traditional Mediterranean diet is rich in olive oil, fiber, vegetables, fruit, flour, and freshly cooked food. In contrast the popular pizza varieties in many parts of the world are loaded with cheeses and meats, a high intake of which can contribute to obesity.