Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I’m Adam Navis. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Today’s Spotlight is on a food people eat all around the world. It is pizza! Very simply, pizza is a food made by putting meat and vegetables, called toppings, on top of bread. But pizza is not the same everywhere. All around the world, people enjoy different toppings on their pizzas.
Voice 2
In Brazil, green peas are popular on pizza.
Voice 1
In Japan, food from the sea, like eel and squid are popular.
Voice 2
In Costa Rica, people enjoy the coconut fruit on top of their pizzas.
Voice 1
In Italy, the bread, or crust, of the pizza may be the most important part. It can be more important than anything that goes on it!
Voice 2
But in the Netherlands toppings are very important! A popular pizza in the Netherlands is called the “Double Dutch.” It has two times the cheese, two times the onions, and two times the beef! It has two times the toppings!

Voice 1
As you can see, there are many different ways to eat pizza. And each way is correct! The simple design of pizza is the same all over the world. But everyone likes something different on top of it. It is common for different cultures to have their own kinds of food. A food that is popular in one culture will not always be popular in another culture. But pizza seems to cross all these barriers. Pizza is popular in almost every part of the world! So, why is pizza so popular? Where did it even come from?
Voice 2
No one really knows where the idea for modern pizza started. But experts do agree that the design, or recipe, for modern pizza was probably put together using different ideas from different cultures. A few cultures already had a simple common recipe for pizza almost 2000 years ago!
Voice 1
Even before that, Middle Eastern cultures had something similar to pizza. Babylonians, Israelites, and Egyptians liked to eat flat, cooked bread. They would add olive oil and good tasting spices to the bread. Then they cooked this flat, spiced bread in hot ovens made of earth or on top of hot, flat stones. It was a small food that people ate between meals. Or they added it to a meal.
Voice 2
Another version of this flat round bread was also popular in Greece. The Greeks called it “plakountos.” They put vegetables and meat on top of the flat bread.
Voice 1
But many experts believe that the version of pizza that people know best today started in the city of Naples, in Italy. It was a street food. Poor people there spent a lot of time outside of their very small homes. They could buy this food and eat it easily as they walked outside.
Voice 2
One more thing added to the creation of the modern pizza. They put tomatoes on their pizza street food. Today, this soft, red fruit is the most popular fruit in the world. But back in the 1700s, people thought it was poisonous. But that did not stop them from eating it!

Voice 1
Finally, the popularity of pizza began to grow. Shops opened where people could buy pizza. In 1830, the first pizzeria opened in Naples, Italy. This restaurant only sold pizza. But the pizza of that time still looked a little different from the modern pizza we know today. However, in 1889, Don Raffaele Esposito created the first modern pizza. Katy Blake tells the story.
Voice 3
Queen Margherita Theresa was visiting Naples. She had heard of pizza, but she had never tried it. During her visit to Naples, she finally decided to try it! Don Raffaele was a famous pizza maker. She asked him to make a special pizza for her.
So, Don Raffaele created three pizzas. But he designed one pizza especially for the Queen. He added three toppings to the pizza. The first topping was mozzarella cheese. Mozzarella cheese was made from the milk of a water buffalo – a kind of local cow. It is a white cheese. The next topping was red tomatoes. Finally, Don Raffaele added basil leaves. Basil is a green plant with a mild spicy taste. These three toppings were white, red and green – the colors of the Italian flag. He called this pizza the Margherita Pizza. The Queen was very happy — she loved the pizza! And the Margherita Pizza is still a very popular kind of pizza today!

Voice 2
After this event, people no longer considered pizza a poor person’s food. Everyone, rich or poor, enjoyed this easy-to-eat, delicious food. As people began to travel more often, they began sharing the news about pizza.
Voice 1
Today, people all over the world eat more than five billion pizzas every year. The recipe for pizza has changed over the years. Today people usually make pizza by putting sauce, a kind of thick liquid, over the crust. The most popular kind of sauce is made from tomatoes. Then cheese and toppings of all kinds go on top of the sauce. But pizza makers have tried to put almost any kind of food you can imagine on top of a pizza!
Voice 2
People all over the world have helped to create the recipe for pizza. It is a food that combines different foods from different countries. And it is probably one of the oldest foods you can think of! But one of the best things about pizza is this: you can create your own special kind of pizza. You can put anything you like on it. You can mix different foods from different cultures and create something wonderful. Who would have expected that such an ancient and simple food would be popular today? Pizza is just one example of how great things can happen when cultures come together.

Voice 1
Do you enjoy pizza? What is the strangest topping you have ever had on a pizza? Tell us about your experiences. You can leave a comment on our website. Or email us at radio@radioenglish.net. You can also comment on Facebook at facebook.com/spotlightradio. Visit us on Youtube at youtube.com/spotlightenglish1.
Voice 2
The writer of this program was Liz Waid. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on our website at www.radioenglish.net. This program is called “Pizza, the World’s Food”.
Voice 1
Visit our website to download our free official app for Android and Apple devices. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program.
Question:
What is your favorite pizza topping? What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten on a pizza?
My favorite pizza normal pizza with extra cheese,and of course i enjoy pizza, it one of the my bests food
I like it pizza, I like it weth cheese and pepperoni, and yes I enjoy for eating pizza with watching movies.
Hi team!
My favourite pizza is a Margherita Pizza.
There’s one joke about cooking of pizza. If our Mom cleans the fridge, then we’ll have pizza for dinner.
hhhhh 🙂
Pizze it’s my favorite food
My favorite pizza is Bulgogi with marinated beef on the topping. Bulgogi is a famous food of Korea. It tates good.
I like normal pizza without cheese ، sometimes I eat just pizza with tomato sauce I don’t like additions very much
Dear Spotlight,
I like pizza a lot but I have never made it by myself.
I really want to say something to you but i do not know where should i write, so i will share in this topic.
I would like to express my thankfulness to spotlight programmer because after listenning and shadowing your voice 3-4 time/week, l can not amaze my English ability can up much more like that.
The last week i had 2 big guests in by job from Korean and I can use English fluently I feel confident to hear and communicate with them.
I think i improve my English skill a lot thanks for your program so i would like express my thanks to you.
Wish you have a good things always!
From Lan Anh – Vietnamese.
I think my
I love pizza. I’m Italian and I think this is the national dish!
My favorite pizza is Margherita pizza with a lot of fresh cheese and basil.
My favorite topping of pizza is the pepperoni and the most strange topping that I have in my pizza is pineapple.
My favorite food is Pizza and I always take it Spicy.
I like pizza too. I like pizza with cheese and meat and some green plants.
I have tried many times to do it myself, but I can’t make delicious bread for it.
I knew about the pride of the Neapolitans for their pizza but I learned everything else. The thing that surprised me most, however, was to see how the pizza with pepperoni, which is my favorite and which in my limited experience I believed to be absolutely minority, is instead enjoying some success among Spotlight friends.
The pizza my faverts food it is very delicious l love so Mach and l drem go to Italy l taste the faumos.
My favorite pizza is called four cheese. It contains four kind of cheese and pears. I’m a vegetarian. I like all kind of pizza without meet and seafood.
Wow! I have never heard of a pizza with pears on it before! It sounds really interesting. Do you cook the pears first? Or do you cut up fresh pear to put on the pizza?
I love pizza it’s my favorite food
Special Margherita
My favourite topping is the meat and the strangest is the candies
Pitzza it is my favorite food,i like him with two topping the first topping is beef and the next one is mazzarita cheesewow it’s very delicious.
My favourite pizza is a ranch and chicken sauce, and i desire it in the month once.
I like pizza with cheese and meat,I’d like eat it with friends.
I like is pizza with vegtpoels and cheese
Pizza is my fav food forever. I like this boadcast .
My favorite pizza is Regular and strangest thing ever on pizza is Rocca
I love very much Margherita pizza it one of my best food and when we eat the Margherita pizza i enjoy as
it was first time
I liked it’s the subject and I enjoy when I heard i again to listen more than 3 time , actually I don’t eat a lot pizza it’s not favorite food for me but i enjoy eat with my friends .
My favorite pizza is Ranch pizza. It is so delicious . The Ranch pizza has a ranch sous, small chicken ,of course pizza sous and some cheese on the topping.
mmm… I love the cheese of course and some of rocca
I think the strangest thing i ate with pizza in pineapple It was so strange .
I make my pizza with the available components in my home, I don’t know what it’s name!
often the ingredients are chees, tomato, chicken tender and salt.
My mom pizza is the the greatest !
I love pizza it is my favorite food for me , but the best pizza is three cheeses
My favorite toppings are beef, pork, and seafood like Shrimp. That’s the main topping that can make pizza delicious. In Korea, I ate a pizza with sweet potato topping and that’s the strange pizza I had eaten in my whole life.
have someone know about pizza pho
My favorite pizza toppings are tomato, onion, olive, and a looooot of cheese. Mmm i think the most stranger thing I have ever seen is cucumber
I have never eaten pizza since it appeared. It looks delicious and I want to try this food once. I have heard my friends that they ate pizza in some restaurants. I hope I will try this food in the future with someone. Who knows?
My favorite kind of pizza is cheese with tomato sauce, vegetables, and beef.
The strangest pizza I have eaten is pineapple pizza.
Hello Spotlight. Pizza it is one of my favorite food.Sometimes I prefer to cook it.I like to add triple kinds of cheeses to become stretchy.Also, the main ingredient of my recipe the tomato sauce I prefer to cooking rather than buying.Also sometimes I like to eat Pizza at Italian restaurant.
I love pizza so much my favorite kind of pizza it’s ranch And thank for great program
I tried made the pizza , it’s was delicious and all my family , my neighbours like it .
I enjoyed with it.
I like when I put on the top of the bread : sauce , bell pepper , Onions , mushrooms , olives and finally a lot of the cheese it was nice
l love the pizza and l make it all a time
I enjoy pizza, pizza is my love , pizza is my favorite food , I like pizza with toppings mushroom, tomatoes, peppers, cheese, ketchup, and olive , I like pizza hot because it is always give me favorite flavor. my wife prepares pizza with complete care where prepares sauce with vegetables and put cheese on top.
Hello!
My name ist Ethel and I‘m Brazilian.
I love pizza, but pizza with green peas ….? Doesn’‘t even exist here in. Brazil.
l Margherita Pizza she is Favorite put liked to eat All kinds of pizza
I love the nature pizza with a tomato and cheese and other topping i don’t try a lot of kind of pizza but i know the pizza is a have delicious in a different ways
I like eat pizza but not alwayes because it’s not very healthy.
Amm when l wanna put some thing on pizza I will choose some thing healthy like tomato sauce, cheese, crumbled kapap, some spices and sweet sauce this is topping pizza favorite on me.
I have never eaten anything weird on pizza before but I hared for the first time about a lot of thing that are put on pizza and that are strange to me.
my favorite pizza margarita amazing my cooking by self but tomatoes sauce more chees my favorite type three cow and finally but onion or any type of vegetable
some time using meat like hot dog i loved spicy pizza
I was born and raised in the countryside so when I was a child, I didn’t know pizza. When I went to the university, I have lived in the city, at that time I knew pizza. The first time, I ate pizza, I ate pizza with seafood, fruit, and beef topping. It was delicious. after that, I ate pizza more. My favorite pizza topping is fruit, beef, and cheese. I have never eaten the strangest topping at this time. but I think if we combine the toppings perfectly, it will make a deliciuos pizza.
I like pizza with chicken and cheese. it’s very delicious
I like pizza so much , it is the beast food choices for friends gathering . I tried many kind of pizza top and my fab on is with chicken, the beast for me.
I like home made pizza more than one that bought from restaurant.
We cooked pizza every day in Ramadan ( fasting month)
Big thank for Italians for this delicious meal.
I very like to eat pizza whith a lot cheese , my favorite food
I eat pizza once a month because it makes me gain weight. I like pizza with mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. I never try the pizza with stranger topping but I’ve heard about it before. That’s pizza with shrimp paste (mam tom) – a fermented condiment widely used in Vietnam. It has a stinky smell and I think it just perfect when you eat shrimp paste with noodles and fried tofu. Pizza with topping Shrimp paste is so terrible.
I love pizza so much, I have eaten pizza many times, can not count the total times. It’s very delicious.
I often eat pizza in the weekend with my family, my friends. Because I can not eat 1 big pizza by my self.
Pizza have many flavor, beef, vegetable, sea, …. And I love beef pizza the most!
I remember that I have try the pizza that it’s special, it includes both peach and seafood on the top of flat bread. The flavor of it is stranger, call Peach seafood pizza.
Pizza is my favorite food, my favorite pizza topping is cheese and seafood. the strangest thing i have ever eaten on a pizza is mushroom.
I used to despite this food until I got to enjoy salmon pizza. Its taste is really delicious. Now I understand why the whole world loves Pizza. Salmon Sashimi Pizza is the weirdest I’ve ever seen. I didn’t know this combination before but I think it’s a great combination. In my opinion, this food will be much better If eaten with a little spicy sauce. Let’s try this pizza with this special topping If you want to know how delicious it is.
Yes, I like pizza, because it’s a delicious fast food.
My favorite pizza is with pepperoni and cheese and my disliked is with pineapple
I like a mexican pizza and the pepperoni white mushrooms. But i dislike a Hawaiian pizza because dont agree the taste the pineapple under the pizza
I LOVE PIZZA , MY FAVORITE PIZZA IS “THE MEXICAN” , I DONT LIKE THE HAWAIAN PIZZA BECAUSE I DON’T LIKE TO COMBINING FRUIT WITH FOOD
my favorite pizza is a 3 meat pizza with the edges stuffed with cheese
I don’t like pineapple on my pizza
my favorite pizza is pepperoni, the one I don’t like is hawaiina because of the pineapple
my favorite pizza is the mexican with extra cheese.
The pizza I don’t like is hawuaina, because of the pineapple.
I really like the piza for the great cheese flavor it has and its delicious touch of tomato.
My favorite pizza is “Pizza with Boneless”
Pizza who I don’t like is “Hawaiian”
I like pizza because all of the ingredients it have are delicious.
I like pizza because it is a unique flavor
My favorite pizza is deli pizza and I don’t like Hawaiian pizza.
I like pizza because it is a very delicious and fast food. I can buy pizza all over the world.
My favorite pizza is the Mexican one, and least favorite is Pizza Hawaiana. ☺
I like pizza because it has a lot of flavors and styles and I’m never finish to try all.
My favorite pizza is rim pizza stuffed with cheese because with the chesse in the rim it’s more nice to it eat. I don´t like Hawaiian pizza because it has many flavors and I don’t like that.
I Like pizza because It taste too good mi favorite one Is the mexican and i dislike napolitan pizza
I like pizza because it’s a delicious fast food, my favorite pizza is Traditional pizza and I disliked hawaian pizza
I like pizza because you can combine many rich ingredients in a single meal
my favorite pizza is cold meat,
because?
I love meats
the pizza I don’t like is pizza with pineapple, it is in bad taste to put pineapple on it
MY FAVORITE PIZZA IS PEPPERONI BECAUSE I LIKE THEM A LOT. I LIKE PIZZA BECAUSE IT IS A VERY COMMON FOOD. I DISLIKE HAWAIIAN PIZZA
I like pizza because of the ingredients it has
Mexican pizza is my favorite and I dislike hawaiian pizza
My favorite pizza is the cheddar and spinach
I like pizza for its rich taste and smell.
I have two favorite pizzas, extra cheese and the Hawaiana.
The pizza I don’t like is the Mexican when it has beans
I like pizza for its flavor and sauce, my favorite pizza is pepperoni and I disliked hawaian pizza
I love pepperoni pizza but i dont like hawaiian pizza
I like pizza because its delicious and i love cheese
I like pizza because it is delicious food, my favorite pizza is Mexican pizza and I don’t like pepperoni pizza
My favorite pizza topping is the extra cheese and pepperoni, the strangest thing that I have ever eaten on a pizza is the pineapple
My favorite pizza is the Mexican Pizza
And the strangest thing i ever ate its with seafood
my favorite pizza tooping is peperoni, and the stranger thing i ever eaten on a pizza is tuna
– I love mushroom pizza and definitely the strangest pizza I have ever eaten is the one with shrimp
My favorite ingredient is mushrooms.
The strangest thing I’ve ever eaten on a pizza was pizza with boneless.
My favorite is with cold meats and peppers,
I enjoy eating pizza and watching movies.
my favorite pizza is the mexican style and the strangest ingredient in my pizza was pineapple, I hate pineapple on pizza
Answer: pepperoni
Nothing, i don’t like eating strange food.
I like italian pizza, and the strangest things i eaten are black olive, green chile, chorizó
My favorite toppings are pepperoni, beef, green pepper, mushrooms and black olives.
The strangest topping I have ever had on pizza was Machaca.
pizza is my favorite food
My favorite pizza is a pepperoni pizza with extra cheese, and the strangest thing i’ve ever eaten on a pizza is black olives
my favorite ingredient is a peperoni and the most strangest thing i´ve ever eaten on pizza is pineapple
My favorite pizza topping is maybe the boneless pizza or pepperoni pizza. And the strangest thing that I have ever eaten on pizza is very basic but is with pineapple and beers.
my toppings favorites is ham and bacon with extra cheese , the strangest thing I’ve ever had on a pizza is cherry and I didn’t like it
My favorite topping on pizza is mushroom and black olive, and the stragest thing i have ever eaten on a pizza is shrimp.
My favorite pizza topping is pepperoni and bacon, the strangest topping I’ve ever eaten on pizza is pineapple.
I like eat pizza once a month without cheese and pepperoni .
Pizza was one of my favorite foods when I was a child, because I saw it in the series when they ate pizza with melted cheese, my favorite pizza is pizza with extra cheese
I really like pizza, I can make my own pizza, the most important in pizza are the liquid cheese, chicken and tomato. It’s so delicious when I make it like this.
My favorite pizza topping is a variety of things that I put together, such as tomatoes, cow meats, cheese, and many other foods of various types. I’m not sure how popular pizza is across the world, but I’ve only had one in the last year and it was very delicious.
I like is apizza. Ilike pizze wite cheese and tomates and vegtabIes .Ilike saece hot wiht tea
I really like to eat pizza. I like the fat, spicy taste of pizza. They help me fell relax. But pizza has a lot of calories. If i eat a lot, i will get fat.
I’m sure with you but it’s very yummy
I like a classic pizza , cheese , tomatoes and basil leaves , I think it has wonderful taste , it’s made especially for a Queen.
I like the Italian pizza , and I hate the meddle East’s pizza , they put on top a lot of things , the make a combination of many things , this make it traffic food
i favorite vegetable pizza . it is made 3 toping . the first toping is put the red tomato sauce the next put different vegetable the next topping mozzarella cheese. strangest pizza it’s made Ranch Dressing
Actually we make pizza with tomato and mozzlalla cheese and that’s how we make it
l like a pizza
Added toppings to pizza
mozzarella cheese and read tomatoes,…..
my favorite pizza topping ever is chicken with ranch sauce yummy, and the strangest topping I ate was cheese with Pineapple!
My favorite toppings are pineapple, pepperoni, bacon, and ham.
Plus extra cheese!
I like pizza
I like eat it with a lot of cheese
Especially, with half kilo of cheese
I love a lot of kinds of Pizza , this amazing food is so delicious , and I want to be a professional Pizza maker so I could enjoy eating it .
I love pizza and I didn’t made it before, but I watched my mum while she was making it. The types of pizza that we eat it in the home are cheese pizza, Zaatar pizza, tuna pizza, and finally, the pizza I prefer to eat it is egg pizza, and I would become so enthusiastic when mum cooked for us pizza.
I like pizza with mozzarella, chicken and BBQ taste
I love a lot of pizza
especially with cheese ❤
My favorite pizza chicken pizza with cheese.
I’ve never tried anything weird with pizza but i think if the cooker using fish in pizza ,the pizza become weird.
I love pinnapples, pepperonis, tamato, and bacon. Sometimes they put a little barbecue sauce on it, and I like that!
The strangest pizza eating is chocolate pizza, it’s very sweet and delicious.
I prefer mushroom pizza,
The pizza is enjoy for everyone in the world but my mothers’ pizza is the best
I loved how you added a special meaning by cultures combining with the story of making pizza it’s just beautiful to bring a little nice meaning to things it makes it more loveable and nice in the memories of other people and this spotlight definitely affected me as well and it made it more special for me to eat pizza and maybe I would serve at group meetings as a meaning of the shared acceptance between our differences, gorgeous
My favorite topping in that pizza is seafood, pineapple and mushrooms. The special thing about a pizza that I have ever eaten is that it is a cake that mixes a lot of toppings and a lot of cheese.
I love pizza but I love it more than my mom’s hands.
My favourite pizza toppings are tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, olive, red and green peppers, mushrooms, meat pieces and fahita sauce.
I like to eat pizza with my family but I make it by myself and add many ingredients on it
Why are you recycling older articles?
I like pizza especially when i make
it with my mom. And i add many different things such as tomato, black olives mushrooms, liquid cheese and some of green pepper it is very delicious
I like this app very much its very nice l will clap for this application
I really like pizza
I love pizza a lot,
specially with cheese and black olives
pizza made with seafood and vegetables
My favourite kind of pizza is the pizza with extra toppings especially mozzarella cheese.
The strangest pizza I’ve ever eaten was a pizza with pineapple and cherry. It was too sweet, also it had ketchup all over the pizza.
amazing
My favorites pizza is cheese pizzas with barbecue sauce
I like a pizza with tomatoes and cheese
I love margherita pizza
And
Pizza with see food is a stranger !!
About my favorite pizza is the original
Thank you for bringing up such beautiful topics.
I love pepperoni pizza and cheese pizza and I like this program (:
I love pizza so much vegetables the strangest sea food
My fave pizza it’s ranch it so tasty try it
my favorete piza topping margarete and the strangest pizza the topping spinash
I like pizza my favourite topping is with pepperoni and extra cheese
my favorite filling on pizza is some type of cheese
The strangest pizza I’ve ever eaten is pineapple pizza
to me , the stringet story of pizza i have heard, the margreta pizza.
and i love cheses pizza !
My favourite topping its the peppperony one.
Onions.
My favourite topping its the peppperony one.
Onions.
I really like pizza, It is the easiest thing I can cook it. I prefer Vegetable pizza with two times the cheese. Actually, I found a new recipe on one of the channels on YouTube. there are only three ingredients, the first ingredient is yogurt, the second ingredient is flour the third ingredient is Bakkenpowder also salt. It is simple and easy. My family enjoyed it when they ate it.
❤️❤️
Excellent
Hi for every one
I like pizza with thin dough>
My favourite pizza is a Margherita Pizza.
cheese pizza no i don’t remember i eat strangest thing on pizza
My favorite pizza is with a cheese and seafood
I love pizza with chess and sauce and I love ❤ Italy and I learn English with Spotlight thank you guys
my favorite topping is onion and cheese and chickens
My favorite ingredient on pizza is bonnels and the strangest thing I’ve had to eat on pizza is octopus.
My favorite kind of pizza it is a cheese, I like this kind but I don’t eat pizza much because my stomach don’t like dough.
the strangest kind I eat it was pizza with beef.
I like pizza with extra cheese and ranch sauce .Also l like the meat on pizza
I like eat pizza it is so delicious
My favourite pizaa is Margherita pizza.
Thanks spot light ❤️❤️❤️❤️
siete delle merde non si mette il cocco sulla pizza, stronziiii!!!
inglesi del cazzoooooo!
My favourite pizza is Margarita because when you take a bite the cheese will stretch as long as your arm. This pizza from Pizza Hut, try it trust me you will like it so much.
I’m wanna of lover pizza It s the best steert I have seen because it s delicuse and maybe som healthy
I’m wanna of the lover pizza it s best street food in the word Ilike it whith chees and beef or vegetables so yahh I love ❤️ pizza
I love Hawaiian pizza soooo much. There are some pieces of pineapples on it. The stragest pizza that I have ever seen is the pizza with mashmellows on it. I thought it’s so weird and awful…
Morning!!
I really enjoy eating pizza, it’s one of my favorite food, I prepare it myself, a good dough with great quality ingredients made an outstanding pizza.
The stranger or I sohould say suculent pizza toppings I’ve ever had was red prawn, pork jowl and burrata cheese, sooo delicious and savory, I recommend you all to give it a try!!!