The nation celebrates National Pizza Month each October. There are plenty of reasons to love pizza, and during this special month pizza lovers can dig into new ways to get their fill of this famous comfort food. Check out these facts that are bound to get you even more fired up about pizza, courtesy of Papa Woody’s Pizza, DeNiro’s Pizza, Big Mario’s New York Style Pizza, and DidYouKnow. com.
· More than 10 percent of food service sales in the United States involve pizza. Plenty of people are ordering pizza to their homes or dining at restaurants that serve this beloved dish.
· Pepperoni is the most popular pizza topping (if you’re not counting cheese).
· Pizza consumption tends to be highest during sporting events. Pizza retailers sell millions of pizzas during the Super Bowl every year, for example.
· When pizza originated in Naples, Italy, it was intended to be an option for lowi n come families, as it was a cheap meal to make at home.
· Researchers at The Artificial Language Laboratory used a computer to order a pizza in 1974 to test the computer’s speaking ability. The order was a pepperoni, mushroom, ham, and sausage pizza from local pizzeria Mr. Mike’s.
· Around 80 percent of Italian cheese production in the United States revolves around making mozzarella to accommodate the pizza industry.
· Americans love their pizza. Of the more than five billion pizzas sold worldwide each year, approximately 60 percent of them are sold in the U.S.
· The outer edge of the pizza is known as the “cornicione.” Despite the interesting name, chances are someone in your household leaves that crusty goodness behind on the plate after enjoying a slice or two.
· When American World War II soldiers returned home after eating pizza in Italy, they brought their love for this food with them and helped bring pizza to the masses.
· Each year, the International Pizza Expo takes place so that those in the pizza industry can mingle and share information about this delicious food.
