Episode Description

Believe it or not, pizza didn’t start as a global “fast food.” It started as practical street food in Naples, then became a craft, then became a symbol and eventually became a mass-produced product category in a lot of places. In this episode, we explore the history behind pizza, a popular legend, cultural trends and everything in between.

In this episode

• The earliest known written mention of “pizza”
• Pizza in Naples during the 1700s–1800s
• The first pizzeria and what we know from historical records
• The Margherita story
• The UNESCO recognition of Neapolitan pizza-making as a cultural practice
• Pizza styles beyond Neapolitan (Italy + global styles)
• How pizza became industrialized
• Pizza meal prep

Connect with Noha

• Topic requests: itsneverjustfood@gmail.com
• Follow the podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Follow Noha on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Learn more about working with Noha ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

References mentioned in the episode

• Mattozzi, Antonio. (2015). Inventing the Pizzeria: A History of Pizza Making in Naples.
• National Geographic. (2022). Pizza Margherita may be fit for a queen, but was it really named after one?
• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. (2017). Art of Neapolitan ‘Pizzaiuolo’.
• Bon Appétit. (2018). What Is the Difference Between a Calzone and a Stromboli?
• History Today. (2016). History of Pizza.

In Part 2 of this ultra-processed foods series, we go behind the curtain. Not the boring org chart stuff. The unexpected roles and design choices that shape the experience of eating ultra-processed foods, like crunch sound, texture engineering, aroma design, and how foods are built to dissolve and “go down” fast.

In this episode

• What it really means to “design” a food experience

• The crunch and sound piece

• Texture engineering

• Aroma design

• Melt and flavor release

• Packaging as a crunch and texture protector

Connect with Noha:

• Topic requests: itsneverjustfood@gmail.com
• Follow the podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Follow Noha on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Learn more about working with Noha ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

References mentioned in the episode

• Monteiro, C. A., et al.(2019). Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutrition.

• Fazzino, T. L., et al.(2019). Hyper-palatable foods: development of a quantitative definition and application to the US food system database. Obesity.

• Spence, C. (2017). Crispness, the sound of food, and the perception of texture. Flavour.

• Foodspiracy: Why ultra-processed foods are irresistible and how they impact our health. The Nature of Things

Ultra-processed foods are everywhere, but most people don’t fully know what the term means. In Part 1 of this two-part series, we start from the beginning: how the modern ultra-processed food concept emerged, why it was created, and how the NOVA classification system defines ultra-processed foods today.

In this episode

• The history behind processed foods
• What “ultra-processed” means
• The modern origin of the term and why researchers introduced it
• NOVA 101: the four groups and what makes a food ultra-processed

Connect with Noha:

• Topic requests: itsneverjustfood@gmail.com
• Follow the podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Follow Noha on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Learn more about working with Noha ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠

References mentioned in the episode

• Monteiro, CA. (2009). Nutrition and health. The issue is not food, nor nutrients, so much as processing. Public Health Nutrition.

• Monteiro, CA., et al. (2010). Increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods and likely impact on human health: evidence from Brazil. Public Health Nutrition.

• Monteiro, CA., et al. (2019). Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutrition.
• Braesco, V et al. (2022). Ultra-processed foods: how functional is the NOVA system? European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
• Sadler, CR., et al. (2022). Processed food classification: conceptualisation and challenges in practice. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
• da Silva, JT., et al. (2025). Defining ultra-processed foods: a systematic review of classification systems and operational definitions.
• United States Department of Health and Human Services, United States Department of Agriculture. (2025). Ultra-Processed Foods: Request for Information. Federal Register.
• Health Canada. (2022). Limit highly processed foods. Canada’s Food Guide.