What specifically defines modern pizza distinguishing it from ancient Greek plakous?

Yeast dough, cooked tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese

The fundamental difference between the ancient precursor and the modern creation lies in the specific ingredients that establish the recognizable flavor profile. While the ancient Greeks enjoyed *plakous*, a topped flatbread that was often unleavened or only slightly leavened and dressed with herbs, onion, garlic, and sometimes cheese, modern pizza requires yeast dough, which specifies ratios of flour and yeast, and crucially, the cooked tomato sauce. The introduction of the tomato, which arrived in Europe much later from the Americas, serves as the definitive marker separating the conceptual ancestor from the actual dish known globally today. Furthermore, the specific cheese used, mozzarella (like *fior di latte* or *bufala*), replaces the local feta or simple fresh cheese of antiquity.