[SideburnsOfDoom]

And the use of tomato paste or sauce underneath, rather than sliced tomato on top, seems to be an even later innovation.

[dotancohen]

This was done not for the taste, but so that the pizza could be prepared in advance of being served. The idea was that the tomato paste would not go bad or seep juices into the dough base. Its is actually a regression from a culinary standpoint.

[SamBam]

That's like saying pickles and preserves and fermented foods are a "culinary regression" because they were created to prevent fresh food from going bad.

Something can be both practical and not a "regression."

[mattmar96]

I disagree. Pizza sauce means more oppurtunity for culinary expression.

Dont get me wrong, margherita is great, but to say pizza sauce is a regression is a bit silly IMO