What is your favorite “All-American” dinner? Pizza (43%) Fried Chicken (29%) Hamburgers (15%) Other (7%) Hot Dogs (4%)
And the #1 topping across the U.S. is pepperoni!
Pizza Trivia
Did you know…
- Approximately 100 acres of pizza are consumed each day in the U.S.17% of all restaurants are pizzerias.93% of Americans eat a minimum of one pizza each month.Pepperoni – America’s favorite topping – accounts for 36% of all pizza orders.Frozen pizzas first became available in 1957.
Origins of Pizza
While it is impossible to know exactly where the first pizza pie dough was first tossed in the air, Italy has traditionally been considered the birthplace of the pizza. Tomatoes originated in the New World, beginning as a wild plant found in Ecuador and Peru, eventually migrating north, where the Aztecs modified them into larger, more edible varieties. They were brought to Italy in the 16th century by the Spanish. Wealthier Italians originally thought tomatoes to be poisonous, but the poor ate them along with their usual diet of bread, cheese, and olive oil. As time passed, the combination caught on with the general population. Naples is credited with creating what we know as “pizza” today and Neapolitan pizzas are considered to be the world’s best.
Pizza in the U.S.
In the late nineteenth century, Italian immigrants brought pizza to the U.S. The first pizzeria, Lombardi’s Pizzeria Napoletana, was opened in New York in 1905. But pizza didn’t really catch on with Americans until after World War II when soldiers stationed in Italy returned home with a passion for pizza. The popularity of pizza spread rapidly during the 1950s and 1960s and has been an American favorite ever since.
Pizza Recipes
Frozen pizza and pizza delivery are convenient, but you can’t beat a fresh homemade pizza right from your oven at home. Making your own pizza is healthier and allows you to customize the pie to your particular tastes. Try these recipes!
