I thought I would let you know that not only is today Superbowl Sunday February 9th is National Pizza Day #NationalPizzaDay. We all know #Pizza and #Football go hand in hand just as much as #Wings does. Lets celebrate and order our favorite Pizza from out favorite Pizza restaurant. Or splurge and try a new Pizza place today because lots of restaurants will be having sales on Pizza and Wings.
As people celebrate National Pizza Day it’s hard to imagine that before World War II, Pizza was little known outside of Italy or Italian immigrant communities. Can you believe that? I can’t but the Cheesy disc went from a niche cultural meal to the star of the show anywhere Pizza turns up! Let’s cheer for Pizza not only today but everyday all year long.
Flatbreads with toppings were consumed by ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks, the modern birthplace of the Pizza is Southwestern Italy’s Campania region, home to Naples. Founded around 600 BC as a Greek settlement, Naples in the 1700s and early 1800s was a thriving Waterfront City.
Technically an independent kingdom, it was notorious for its throngs of working poor, or lLazzaroni. These Neapolitans required inexpensive food that could be consumed quickly. Pizza or Flatbreads with toppings that can be eaten for every Meal fulfilled this need. These early Pizzas featured tasty toppings including Tomatoes, Cheese, Oil, Anchovies, and Garlic. More well off Italian authors judged Naples’ innovation, often calling their eating habits disgusting. Do you think there eating habits was disguising and if so why? With Anchovies’ my family thinks they are gross.
In 1861, Italy finally unified, and King Umberto I and Queen Margherita visited Naples in 1889. Legend says that the traveling pair became bored with their steady diet of French cuisine and asked for an assortment of Pizzas from the City’s Pizzeria Brandi, founded in 1760.
The variety the Queen enjoyed the most was called Pizza Mozzarella, a Pie topped with the soft white Cheese, red Tomatoes, and Green Basil resembling the Italian flag. Since then, this particular choice of toppings has been dubbed the Margherita Pizza. Which my family will pass on. What about you?
However, even with the Queen’s love for the dish, Pizza would remain little known in Italy beyond Naples’ borders until the 1940s. Across the sea, immigrants to the United States from Naples were replicating their Flatbreads in New York and other American Cities.
These people were coming for factory jobs, but accidentally made a culinary statement. Relatively quickly, the flavors and aromas of Pizza began to intrigue non-Neapolitans and non-Italians alike. I could see that happening. Couldn’t you?
National Pizza Day Activities
Chances are, you know your perfect slice of Pizza down to the finest details. Everyone believes mine is Meat Lovers but I like Sausage and Hamburger Meat just as much but no, one remembers that. If you have the means and the opportunity today why not break out of the routine on National Pizza Day and try something new.
No matter what age you are, the words “Pizza Party” are guaranteed to delight and put a smile on everyone’s face. Let’s get bizzy and get that Pizza Party set up for dinner this evening and bring your friends and family. The more the merrier.
Today is the perfect day to eat Pizza for all of your meals including Pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Which is the kind of perfect world we live in today. Crack an Egg on it in the morning. Toss that Salad on top for lunch. And why not go for the Leat-Lovers’ Pizza for dinner? Don’t stop there. Have a Dessert Pizza for dinner.
Facts About Pizza
- Pizza is one of the most popular foods in America,. Did you know there are approximately 350 slices of Pizza consumed by Americans every second?.
- During the Super Bowl, more than 2 million Pizzas are sold by the restaurant franchise Pizza Hut.
- Lombardi’s was America’s first Pizzeria, with its outlet in New York
- .A standard serving of Pizza makes up half of the dietary requirement of Lycopene.
- The world’s most expensive Pizza named ‘Louis XIII,’ is prepared by Chef Renato Viola at this gourmet Pizzeria in Italy. I don’t know about you but I will pass on that Pizza.
Why People Love National Pizza Day
The interplay of Cheese to Sauce to Crust creates an almost addictive food bomb of different aromas, textures and flavors. Other foods are hard pressed to do the same.
The question today is Thin Crust or Deep Dish Pizza? Sauce or no Sauce? Classic Mozzarella or Provolone? Wood-fired or out of the oven? Part of Pizza’s appeal is that it’s never the same and can easily be adapted to changing tastes, preferences, and diets.
I’m sure you still remember those grade school Pizza parties with a certain sense of child-like glee. Whether it’s the red, white and green of a classic Margherita Pizza or the sparkle of perfectly cooked Pepperoni, Pizza adds something extra special, wherever you are.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
