India, May 23 -- One popular joke that made the rounds of the foodiely (Yes, I made up the word!) foolish when Pope Leo was elected was that it would now finally be possible to get good pizza in Rome.

If you are moderately interested in pizza then you will know what this is a reference to. The new Pope is an American (of sorts, but we shall come to that later) and Americans like to believe that Italians don't know much about pizza, which is now an American dish. The joke relies on this belief for its punchline: Now that an American rules the Vatican (which is, effectively, in Rome) he will introduce Italians to good pizza.

There are many problems with this view. First of all, Roman pizza, which is thin and lasts longer than the original...