What historical period saw Neapolitan commoners begin incorporating the tomato into their staple flatbreads?
Answer
Late 18th and early 19th centuries
Although tomatoes arrived in Europe centuries earlier, around the 16th century, they were initially treated with suspicion and viewed as ornamental or potentially poisonous, preventing their widespread culinary adoption. The true integration of the tomato into the Neapolitan diet, specifically onto their staple flatbreads, was a slower process that culminated much later. It was specifically during the period spanning the late 18th century through the early 19th century that the impoverished commoners of Naples began actively incorporating this ingredient, thereby initiating the crucial shift toward the creation of modern pizza.
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