The Pizza Craze

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Italian food is the top ethnic food choice in America today according to the National Restaurant Association. Pizza is one of the top foods Americans order next to cheeseburgers and Chinese food. With about 350 slices of pizza eaten every second in America, it’s safe to say pizza has become a staple in our diet.

So where did pizza come from and how did it get such a massive following in America? Traditional pies all started in a city in Southern Italy, Naples. It was actually born out of necessity from the lower class in order to avoid wasting food. The women would pound out dough and use whatever they had leftover to top the dough and bake it. You didn’t need anything but your hands to eat it and every time pizza was made it was slightly different. It’s no surprise our pizza is so delicious since our founder, Gennaro DiMeo, was born and raised in a small town in Naples called Monte DiProcida! The people of Naples first introduced tomatoes to pizza and when Queen Margherita visited Naples in 1889, mozzarella was added in her honor to the dish and the traditional pizza was born! Nowadays you can’t seem to go far without running into a pizzeria or Italian restaurant. The food is so incredibly popular it is considered the top cuisine in the world by CNN. With around 3 billion pizzas sold every year in the U.S.A. more and more restaurateurs are jumping at the opportunity to get involved in the craze. With streamlined delivery systems and quick service, pizza is not only fresh and delicious; it’s readily available when you’re hungry! So what goes into making the best pizzas? The best way to really judge a pizzeria is to order a slice of plain cheese pizza. A simple pizza has dough, pizza sauce, cheese and a few Italian herbs. If every single ingredient is fresh and delicious, then you can get creative and add the pizza toppings! While pepperoni happens to be the most popular topping, gourmet toppings are on the rise. Nowadays people are looking for fresh, new, exciting ingredients. Shows like “Chopped” introduce ingredients people have never heard of before making it more intriguing to venture outside of our comfort zones. Most say that the best part about pizza is there are an infinite number of ways to personalize your pie! From changing up pizza toppings, to folding the pie into a new shape forming a calzone or Stromboli, you can eat the same basic ingredients a million different ways. Whether your favorite pie is a traditional Neapolitan pizza with mozzarella and basil or you like to mix it up with tons of toppings and a deep dish, it’s safe to say there’s a pizza out there to satisfy everyone’s taste buds. America’s number one delivered super bowl food is getting more popular every year. As the Italians would say, mangia, mangia (eat, eat)! Sources http://pizza.com/fun-facts http://www.thepizzajoint.com/pizzafacts.html http://time.com/money/4202586/super-bowl-sales-impact/ http://www.cnn.com/travel/article/world-best-food-cultures/index.html