October is National Pizza Month, otherwise known as the greatest food holiday in existence (and there are a lot of them). It’s a 31-day-long excuse to celebrate our favorite food. We love the cheesy, saucy, pepperoni-covered pies that pair perfectly with beer, fall football, and good times with great friends. But, besides the fact that it’s delicious, you probably don’t know a great deal about this iconic edible creation. That’s why we decided to put together 12 fun facts about ‘za for National Pizza Month. Check them all out below.
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Pizza Facts
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You can get a degree in pizzaology.
Yes, you can actually get a degree in pizzaology. But, technically only three people have this degree from Domino’s College of Pizzaology, including Domino’s founder Tom Monaghan.
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We eat millions of pepperonis every year.
Pepperoni is the most popular pizza ingredient. Globally, pizza fans eat over 250 million pepperonis every single year. Honestly, why would you even get anything else on your pizza?
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Pizza has been around for over 500 years.
Pizza's history can be traced back to Naples, Italy. In the 1500s, locals were known to eat a similar dish consisting of baked dough with a slice of tomato covered in cheese. No sauce? Good thing they added to it over the years.
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Pineapple was almost banned from pizza.
In 2017, the president of Iceland attempted to ban the addition of pineapple to pizza. Luckily, he was unable to do so. Who doesn’t enjoy a nice ham and pineapple pizza every now and then?
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Thin wins the popularity contest.
You might be surprised to learn that thin crust is the most popular style of pizza in the world. Although it shouldn’t be a surprise as authentic pizza is thin (so is New York style). Sorry, Chicago.
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The first pizza shop opened in the 1800s.
The first pizza shop opened in Naples in the 1800s. It’s also the first shop to make margherita pizza. So, you can thank them for your meat lovers monstrosity you order every weekend to pair with football.
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Americans love pizza.
Americans love pizza so much that the average citizen eats 46 slices every year. In all honesty, that doesn’t really seem like a lot. We can down that many in one weekend.
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Other countries embrace strange flavors.
In India, the locals enjoy toppings like mutton and tofu. In Japan, they enjoy squid. We think we’ll stick to pepperoni.
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The first pizza shop in America opened in New York.
There’s a reason New Yorkers believe their pizza is the best. It’s likely due to the sheer number of pizza shops and the fact that the city was home to the first one in America in 1895.
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It’s all in the water.
Many people believe the reason the pizza is so good in New York City is the water. It’s so widely believed that a California pizzeria even installed a water system designed to replicate New York City water.
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The word 'pizza' was first documented over 1,000 years ago.
If you didn’t know it already, modern pizza didn’t gain in popularity until the middle of the 20th century. But, the name itself first appeared in a manuscript in a small Italian village in 997 AD. And thus the greatest food ever invented was born.
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Slices aren't as old.
Prior to 1933, pizza was only sold by the pie. It wasn’t until that year that Patsy's Pizzeria in New York City began selling slices, thus creating the world’s greatest portable food (sorry, hot dogs).
