Did you know that February 9th is devoted to all things pizza? National Pizza Day is the perfect time to get your pizza eating game on! A whole 24 hours devoted to celebrating one of America’s all-time favorite foods. Pizzas come in so many varieties, such as thin crust, Chicago-style, deep dish, or anything in between. Not to mention the endless options of toppings you can have on pizza.
Pizza originated in Naples, Italy in the 10th century, as a simple flatbread spread with sauce and sprinkled with cheese. This is when records first show the presence of what has now become modern-day pizza.
Pizza made its way to America in 1905. In New York City, a pizzeria called Lombardi’s was granted the first mercantile license to make pizza issued in the United States. Lombardi’s is still in business today, so if you want to taste the first real pizza in America, head over to Little Italy in Manhattan.
How to Celebrate
I’m sure you don’t need instructions for how to celebrate National Pizza Day, but if you’re looking for suggestions, here’s a few ideas:
Visit a Pizzeria
Enjoy an evening out with family and friends at your favorite pizza joint. How about trying a new pizza parlor? Be adventurous, try something new or experiment with different toppings. Many pizzerias offer specials on National Pizza Day, so do a little internet research.
Host a Pizza Party
What about having a pizza party with your friends and family? Get your loved ones together and order a few favorites for everyone to share. This is an easy low-key way to enjoy some good food and good company.
Make Pizza at Home
What about making pizza from scratch at home? Pull out a cookbook or do some internet research for pizza recipes. Did you know that you can even cook pizza on a grill? You can even buy already made pizza dough and let everyone pick their favorite toppings.
Fun Facts About Pizza
In honor of National Pizza Day, here are some interesting facts you may not know about. Impress those around you with your knowledge of pizza:
- 3 billion pizzas are sold in the US each year. That amounts to 46 slices or 23 pounds of pizza per person per year. 350 slices of pizza are eaten every second.
- Americans spend approximately $4.4 billion on frozen pizza each year, and 2 out of every 3 households eat frozen pizza regularly.
- Pepperoni tops the list as the most popular pizza, equally 251.7 million pounds of pepperoni per year piled on top of our pizzas.
- Super Bowl Sunday is the most popular pizza day of the year, with 70 percent of those watching the game eating at least one slice.
- There are roughly 78,000 pizzerias in the US. The top six franchises are Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Papa John’s, Little Caesars, Papa Murphy’s, and Marco’s Pizza.
- Pizza is the second most popular fast food in the US. The only fast food that people love more than pizza is hamburgers.