You know that pizza is an American favorite. Care to guess when the first U.S. pizzeria opened for business? That would be 1895. The place was -- where else -- New York City.
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People aren't the only ones who love pizza--dogs do too! In fact, there is a very popular pizza called the "Heaven Scent Pizza" that is made specifically for dogs only. Each pizza comes pre-cut, shrink-wrapped on a 7-inch pizza disk, and packaged in its own delivery box.
Did you know that the highest number of pizzas eaten in a 10 minute period was by a Californian named, Joey Chestnut? He ate a whopping 40 ½ slices of pizza and made it into The Guinness Book of Records.
While few can think of their favorite pizza without a rich tomato sauce, tomatoes were not part of the earliest pizzas because they had not yet been discovered and added to cuisine.
What toppings do you put on your pizza? Surveys find that cheese and pepperoni are the most popular pizza toppings.
Pizzerias represent as much as 17% of all restaurants throughout the United States. There is even a Pizza Expo held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada.
There are several different ways restaurants can cook their pizzas, including stone brick ovens, electric deck ovens, a conveyor belt oven, and sometimes coal-fired brick ovens!
The Margherita pizza is supposed to be a symbol of the Italian flag, covered in tomato for red, mozzarella cheese for white, and basil for green. It was first served in 1889 to the Queen of Italy who was visiting Naples; her name was Queen Margherita.
Australians are well known for their strange eating habits and pizza is no different. One especially popular Aussie pie is called the Kangaroo Pizza, which has, you guessed it, kangaroo meat as its main ingredient. Other favorite Australian pizza toppings include crocodile and fried emu!
Chicago-style deep dish pizza originated in Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood when pizza steward Ike Sewell decided to create a pizza that was not a mere “appetizer,” as he called it. Sewell’s idea was to create a pizza that was a meal and filled a patron’s belly.
Pizza is good for you! This is the finding of university research that studied pizza consumption habits of over 10,000 people in 2016. Pizza lovers who ordered their pizza thin crust and extra veggies reaped the greatest health benefits.
In the Middle East, especially in Lebanon, pizza is called “meat with dough,” or “Lahma Bi Ajeen.” Lahma Bi Ajeen pizza is definitely a regional variation, as it is made of ground lamb, minced onions, cumin, and yogurt.
It is safe to say that pizza is one of our nation’s favorite foods: Americans consume an estimated 100 acres of pizza each day! Statistically, this means that each person indulges in an average of 46 slices per year.
Did you know that olive oil, used plentifully in the making of pizza, has been linked to heart health? The monosaturated fatty acids found in olive oil are a healthy dietary fat and have been linked to blood sugar and insulin regulation.
Did you know that for many members of the Italian-American population, the first American pizzas were called “tomato pies”? Even today, you can buy tomato pies in Italian bakeries in the Northeastern U.S., which are built the opposite of pizza pies: first the cheese, then the toppings, and then the sauce.
Mozzarella cheese is not aged like most cheeses and is actually best when eaten within hours after it is made. To make this cheese, the curds are heated in water or whey until they form strings and then are stretched and kneaded until smooth and formed into round balls.
That succulent cheese you crave on your pizza is probably mozzarella, a mild Italian cheese first made in southern Italy -- from water buffalo milk. Domestic mozzarellas are usually made from cows' milk. Mozzarella is the most popular cheese sold in the U.S.
Did you know researchers have proven that people who eat pizza at least once a week may reduce their risk of getting certain types of cancer? One factor is the antioxidant-rich tomato sauce that sits humbly but powerfully on top of most pizzas.
Did you know that the pizza dish used to be sweet, not savory? It wasn’t until the late 19th century that this changed. Before then, the savory versions of this dish more resembled the flat breads now known as shciacciata. In 1927, Ada Boni’s collection of regional cooking included a pizza recipe including tomatoes and mozzarella.
Did you know that soldiers made a kind of pizza during the 6th Century B.C.? Soldiers of Darius the Great used to cook round bread on their shields and top it with cheese and dates.
Did you know that in America, before the 1940’s, pizza consumption used to be limited to mostly Italian immigrants and their descendants? The international breakthrough came after World War II. Allied troops occupying Italy, weary of their rations, were constantly on the lookout for good food, and eventually found a pizzeria.
The largest pizza ever made was at the Norwood Pick ‘n Pay Hypermarket in Johannesburg, South Africa. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the pizza was 37.4 meters in diameter and was made using 500 kg of flour, 800kg of cheese, and 900 kg of tomato puree. This pizza was created on December 8, 1990.
Did you know that 38% of Americans prefer veggie toppings while 62% prefer meat? Pepperoni is the most loved meat option and mushrooms are a surprising veggie number one, followed by onions.
The typical cheese used on pizza is mozzarella cheese with buffalo mozzarella being the high-end variant. Though as of 1997, pizza cheese ended up becoming an industry and a blend that now can include provolone, romano, ricotta, and other types of cheeses picked for melting and stretchiness.
Did you know that calling a pizza a pie has nothing to do with the crust or the shape? At its root, pie referred to a bird that gathered odds and ends, much the way a pizza has a hodgepodge of toppings.
The world’s largest pizza was made by a team of 200 people under the supervision of restaurant owner Bill Bahr of Iowa Falls, Iowa. The pizza contained 4,000 pounds of cheese, 700 pounds of sauce and 9,500 sections of crust.
These days, you can find pizza variations that embrace a wide range of regional culinary preferences in America. This includes everything from barbeque pizza to Greek and Mexican pizza.
The best pizza makers use a technique called dough-spinning, which enables a fresh, evenly spread and "proper" pizza dough. In fact, dough-spinning has become such a big deal that it has its own professional-level sporting event called the World Pizza Championships.
Over 30 percent of Americans order pepperoni on their pizzas, making it one popular spicy sausage. Can you guess the size of the biggest pepperoni pizza on record? That would be 44,457 pounds worth of gooey goodness.
What type of crust do most Americans like on their pizza? According to polls, 61 percent find regular thin crust the tastiest, while 14 percent prefer deep-dish and 11 percent like extra thin crust. The remaining percentage of the population opts for other types, like stuffed crust.
Did you know that the most commercial pizza is sold on Super Bowl Sunday in the United States? This is one of the busiest pizza days of the year along with Halloween, the night before Thanksgiving, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day.
Although deep dish and Chicago-style pizzas with their thick crusts were at one time the most popular type of pizza, that is no longer the case. Indeed, over 60 percent of all pizza eaters worldwide prefer thin crusts on their pizzas.
The “inventor” of the earliest pizzas is not known to this day. Historians conjecture that it could have been invented by the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans, or any other culture who learned to mix flour with water and heat it on a hot stone.
Super Bowl Sunday is one of the highest selling pizza days in America. Pizza delivery drivers can expect what may normally be a $2 tip to sometimes soar as high as $20 - depending on who won or lost!
Can you guess which city was home to the very first licensed American pizzeria? If you guessed New York City, New York, you're right. The year was 1905, and the farsighted entrepreneur was Gennaro Lombardi.
Pizza truly migrated to the United States with the Italians in the latter half of the 19th century. Stalls were often set up in major cities or the vendors simply sold it right on the street.
Some of the first celebrities to promote pizza had Italian origins, such as Joe DiMaggio, Jimmy Durante, and Frank Sinatra. Though one of the most fun uses of pizza in pop culture is Dean Martin's signature song written in 1952, "That's Amore" that mentions loving hitting the eye like a big pizza pie.
Did you know that the first American pizzas were known as Tomato Pies, particularly among the Italian American population? These days, Tomato Pies are made the opposite of pizza, with the cheese going down first, then the toppings, and finally the sauce.
Pizza sauce tastes pretty unique, and that's no accident. It's designed to complement the pizza crust as well as the cheese and toppings. The flavor of pizza sauce is distinctive from tomato sauce, marinara sauce, cocktail sauce and ketchup.
Did you know that meat is common on about 62 percent of all pizzas consumed? In fact, people eat about 252 million pounds of pepperoni on their pizzas each year.
Whether you grab a slice or order an entire pie, pizza is the king of finger foods. It's a tasty mouthful in a fold-and-eat package that's as comfortable at a sit down dinner as it is on the go.
According to research carried out by Foodler, the top ten pizza toppings in America run in the following order: Pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, sausage, bacon, extra cheese, black olives, green peppers, pineapple and spinach.
What’s a pizza without cheese? Pizzerias are expected to purchase more than 4 billion dollars worth of cheese annually! In addition to cheese, 36% of all pizza orders include an order of pepperoni as the topping.
Naples, Italy is the birthplace of the pizza parlor. The pie may have looked different from what you're used to, and the toppings may have been a little rustic, but the very first pizzeria, Antica Pizzeria, opened there in 1738.
Chicago-style pizza is primarily identified by its deep dish. These are thick and heavy pies traditionally eaten with a knife and a fork. The dough is not so much thick but has a biscuit-like texture, while the crust is covered with ample sauce, cheese, and toppings.
Did you know that many experts believe that pizza was referenced in Virgil’s “The Aeneid,” written in the 1st century BC? Here, he describes his hero eating cakes, or circles, of bread.
Did you know that on Super Bowl Sunday, 58% of Americans order pizza? This makes it the highest selling day for pizza over any other day in a given calendar year.
If you love pizza, then the bigger the pie is, the more you'll have to enjoy, right? Can you guess the most popular pizza size sold in pizza parlors across the U.S.? That would be 14 inches.
In 1905, Gennaro Lombardi opened the first U.S. pizzeria in New York City and earned the title of “Patriaca della Pizza.”
In the late 19th century, pizza was sold in the streets in Naples for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was sold in "slices" cut from a large tray that had been baked in the baker's oven, with a simple topping of mushrooms and anchovies.
Tomatoes (the main ingredient in pizza sauce) contain large amounts of an antioxidant called lycopene, which has been proven to be very good at strengthening the heart. Interestingly, the hot fats and oils found in pizza (via the melted cheese) allow the lycopene to be more easily absorbed.
In 1905, Gennaro Lombardi opened the first U.S. pizzeria in New York City and earned the title of “Patriaca della Pizza.”
In the late 19th century, pizza was sold in the streets in Naples for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was sold in "slices" cut from a large tray that had been baked in the baker's oven, with a simple topping of mushrooms and anchovies.
Pizza is an American favorite, and it's catching on in other countries, too. Care to guess how much pizza is consumed worldwide and not just in the U.S. and Italy? That would be about 5 billion pizzas, and that number is growing.
While pizza was being served out of pizzerias in Italy since 1830, it didn’t arrive in the United States for more than half of a century later. The first American pizzeria was opened in New York in 1905.
Tomatoes (the main ingredient in pizza sauce) contain large amounts of an antioxidant called lycopene, which has been proven to be very good at strengthening the heart. Interestingly, the hot fats and oils found in pizza (via the melted cheese) allow the lycopene to be more easily absorbed.
In 1905, Gennaro Lombardi opened the first U.S. pizzeria in New York City and earned the title of “Patriaca della Pizza.”
In the late 19th century, pizza was sold in the streets in Naples for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was sold in "slices" cut from a large tray that had been baked in the baker's oven, with a simple topping of mushrooms and anchovies.
Hand-Tossed is another favorite style of pizza crust. This is a crust with some yeast that rises between thin crust and deep dish. This type of crust also tends to be manipulated by hand, including the art of throwing the crusts to create the circular pattern.
The first pizza ever ordered by computer was assembled with pepperoni, sausage, ham and mushrooms. Care to guess in what year this historic pizza order was placed? If you guessed 1974, you're right.
Pizza is an American favorite, and it's catching on in other countries, too. Care to guess how much pizza is consumed worldwide and not just in the U.S. and Italy? That would be about 5 billion pizzas, and that number is growing.
While pizza was being served out of pizzerias in Italy since 1830, it didn’t arrive in the United States for more than half of a century later. The first American pizzeria was opened in New York in 1905.
Tomatoes (the main ingredient in pizza sauce) contain large amounts of an antioxidant called lycopene, which has been proven to be very good at strengthening the heart. Interestingly, the hot fats and oils found in pizza (via the melted cheese) allow the lycopene to be more easily absorbed.
In 1905, Gennaro Lombardi opened the first U.S. pizzeria in New York City and earned the title of “Patriaca della Pizza.”
