National Pizza Day

 Today is National Pizza Day!

Pizza is massively popular here in the United States. Americans consume 23 pounds of pizza a year! 3 billion pizzas are ordered every year (4 if you count frozen pizza sales), and the most popular topping? Pepperoni. 

Pizza is actually quite a lot older than people tend to realize. Back in the ancient Mediterranean, various flatbread dishes were enjoyed that could be seen as spiritual ancestors of modern pizza. The first known usage of the word "pizza" was found in 997 AD, used in a Latin document. In the 1800s in Naples, the working poor enjoyed flatbreads with various toppings. Pizza would be brought to the United States thanks to Italian immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th century. However, like in the old country, pizza was viewed early on in the US as "low-class" food. World War II would help popularize the pizza. Post-war, Italian-Americans would move around the country, bringing the pizza with them. Also, American soldiers returning from Europe would also help turn the pizza into one of America's favorite snacks. 

The very first pizzeria (restaurant that serves pizza) is believed to be the Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba in Naples, Italy. Started in 1738 as a stand for peddlers, it would eventually become a more modern restaurant in 1830. This pizzeria is actually still in business today. Just shows the power of pizza. 

The first American pizzeria was considered to be Lombardi's Pizza in Manhattan, opened in 1905. It was founded by its namesake, an Italian immigrant named Gennaro Lombardi. However, Lombardi's role in the founding of the pizzeria was called into question in recent years as well as its status as the first American pizzeria, as researchers have discovered there were other pizzerias that existed around a decade earlier. And much like its status as the first American pizzeria, Gennaro Lombardi's role in the founding of the pizzeria that bears his name has been called into question thanks to looking into documentation regarding his immigration to America. It had been suggested that a man named Filippo Milone was the actual founder. Also, the original Lombardi's closed in 1984 and was reopened in 1994 in a new location. This version of Lombardi's is still in business today.

So, yeah. The pizza has quite a fascinating history. I hope that next time you enjoy a slice, you think about the journey it has taken to become the beloved part of the American food canon. I love pizza, and I hope you all enjoy a slice today as well. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!