[5] Most patrons were artists, students, or others with very little money, so the pizzas made were generally simple, with toppings such as oil and garlic.

[5] A payment system, called pizza a otto, was developed that allowed customers to pay up to eight days after their meal.

[4][5] Since its creation in 1830, the eatery's ovens have been lined with lava rocks from nearby Mount Vesuvius.

[8][9] At the time of its creation, one popular pizza was the Mastunicola, topped with lard, sheep milk cheese, and basil.

Basil and oregano were the most common herbs, while other toppings included seafood, buffalo mozzarella, cured meats, and cecinielli, small white fish still in development.