Pizza is a Lifestyle
Source: Hearthstone Kitchen and Cellar Facebook Page
Pizza is undoubtedly one of the world’s most perfect foods. Humbly composed of dough with simple toppings, it has the power to deliver an almost mind-boggling amount of cheesy, saucy joy. Simple yet perfect, and crowd-pleasing: there’s no wonder it’s a popular party food!
At Hearthstone Kitchen and Cellar, we have a true passion for pizza, and firmly believe that our resident pizzaiola Enzo Esposito is among the best in the world. You must make it a point to come and try his delicious offerings! In the meantime, to fuel your passion for pizza and help you work up an appetite, we’ve assembled some of the most fascinating facts and trivia about one of America’s favorite foods.
How much do we love pizza?
It’s no joke to say that pizza is one of America’s favorite foods. But proof is in the pudding (or in this case the pie), so here are some interesting facts about our intense pizza devotion:
- 3 billion: that’s about how many pizzas are sold annually in the USA.
- If you lined up how many slices of pizza Americans eat per day, it would cover about 100 acres of land. Framed differently, that’s about 350 slices consumed per second.
- As of 2016, there were over 75,000 pizzerias in the USA alone.
- If you ask kids, we should be eating pizza all the time. According to a Gallup Poll, children between 3 and 11 years of age reported unanimously that they preferred pizza over any other food group for both lunch and dinner.
What are the most popular toppings?
What’s your favorite pizza topping? If you said “pepperoni”, you’re in good company: turns out, the salty, thin-sliced meat is America’s most popular pizza topping, superseding even cheese pizza. According to data collected from thousands of restaurants in the United States and Canada, the top 10 pizza toppings are as listed below.
- Pepperoni
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Sausage
- Bacon
- Extra cheese
- Black olives
- Green peppers
- Pineapple
- Spinach
Pizza foreign affairs
- Here are some fascinating facts about pizza consumption overseas.
- If you think that pizza toppings like pineapple or clams are crazy, think again. They don’t hold a candle to the crazy toppings you’ll find in Japan, including bitter melon, natto (fermented soybeans), or squid ink.
- In Italy, they take pizza very seriously. About a decade ago, Italy issued very strict guidelines to preserve the integrity of authentic Neapolitan pizza. To be called Neapolitan, a pizza must meet a number of different requirements, including the size, shape, ingredients, and the type of the oven. Restaurants which meet these standards have a special label to prove their authenticity.
- If you go to the Netherlands, you’d better bring your appetite: a pizza specialty there, called the “Double Dutch”, involves double cheese, double onions, and double beef.
- The longest pizza delivery on record spans not only miles but continents. In 2001, a was delivered from Cape Town, South Africa, to Sydney, Australia!
(Source: Hearthstone Kitchen and Cellar Facebook Page)
Pizza extremists
Oh, the lengths people are willing to go for the love of pizza! Here are some true tales of pizza extremes.
- In 2010, competitive eater Joey Chestnut ate 40 (and a half) slices of pizza in a mere 10 minutes.
- Mama Lena’s Pizza in Pennsylvania created the largest commercially-available pizza. It measures 3 feet by 4.5 feet, and is made using 20 pounds of dough, a gallon of sauce, and 15 pounds of mozzarella.
- According to Guinness World Records, the priciest commercially-available pizza can be purchased in London. It features shavings from a rare Italian white truffle, and sells for just under $200 per pie.
- The largest pizza currently on record was prepared in 2012 in Italy. It had a surface area of over 13,000 square feet (yes, that’s probably bigger than your house a few times over). Oh, and it was gluten-free.
- You’re not alone in your love of pizza. Every year, pizza enthusiasts from all around the world assemble at Pizza Expo, right here in Las Vegas. There were over 1,000 booths at the most recent show!
Pizza in pop culture
Pizza is a beloved cultural icon. It has played a supporting role in many films and TV shows, including (but certainly not limited to) Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Mystic Pizza, E.T., Space Balls, Do the Right Thing, Wayne’s World, Eat, Pray, Love, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Oh, and pizza has inspired music, too. Who could forget the memorable line “when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie…that’s amore” from Dean Martin’s song That’s Amore?
5 quotes for pizza lovers
Need some ins-PIE-ration? Look no further than these quippy quotes about pizza.
“Pizza is like the entire food pyramid!” – Madeline Oles
“Life is mostly pain and struggle; the rest is love and deep dish pizza.” – Benedict Smith
“I love pizza, meaning: Even when I’m in the middle of eating pizza, I wish I were eating pizza.” – Jandy Nelson
“There’s very little in my world that a foot massage and a thin-crust, everything-on-it pizza won’t set right.” – G.A. McKevett
“My love is pizza shaped. Won’t you have a slice? It’s circular, so there’s enough to go around. ” – Dora J. Arod
When is the best time to eat pizza?
When do you like to eat pizza? Not that there’s ever a wrong time, but here’s a little roundup of some data on the best times–of day and of year–to enjoy a pie.
- If you love pizza for breakfast, you’re not alone: 36 percent of people consider pizza the perfect breakfast.
- Many would argue that the best time to fall in love with pizza is in October: it has been officially designated as National Pizza Month.
- There are certain days when pizza is more crave-worthy than others. The top 5 pizza sale days of the year? In order: Super Bowl Sunday; New Year’s Eve; Halloween; Thanksgiving Eve (the night before the big day), and New Year’s Day.
Conclusion: There’s a lot to love about pizza. Its universal popularity has made it not only a beloved food but a cultural icon. Taste the magic for yourself at Hearthstone Kitchen and Cellar, where we feature a pizza for all appetites, from classic pepperoni to creative varieties like short rib meatball and truffle chicken.
What’s your favorite type of pizza?