Pizza has come full circle. The dish originated as peasant food, a simple life-sustaining recipe meant to fill stomachs without emptying purses. It evolved into a world-recognized ethnic treat, then graduated to a gourmet wonder topped with luxury ingredients like duck confit and caviar. Now — although fancy pizzas and purist Italian pizzerias still exist — the dish has returned to its origins. Pizza is an everyday family favorite, sometimes ordered in, sometimes meticulously crafted from scratch, and sometimes thrown together from leftovers. However it arrives at the table, it's always a hunger-abating, soul-satisfying pleasure.

