I don’t think there is anybody in the world who does not like pizza. Most of you probably know that the core of a pizza consists of three things: the dough, the sauce, and the topping. It is a fairly simple dish, and yet there are hundreds of variations. For pizza alone, there is a worldwide industry with a turnover of more than USD 30 billion. Standard ‘large’ sized pizzas are designed to be fourteen inches in diameter. You can cut them into eight to ten slices. You may find some companies that offer a large pizza with more slices, but the slices will be smaller.
| How Many Slices In A Large Pizza? |
| There are 8 slices in a large pizza. |
The World’s Largest Pizza Is Gigantic!
Have you ever heard of a pizza that weighed 12.19 tons? A team of five Italian chefs made it. It’s listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest pizza. This delicious morsel was created on December 8, 1990, at the Norwood Hypermarket in Norwood, South Africa. The diameter is about 37.4 m.
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National Pizza Day
National Pizza Day is celebrated every year in the USA on 9 February. No matter what kind of pizza it is, Americans love it. It is one of their favorite dishes.
Some Epic Facts About Pizza
- People eat around 251,770,000 pounds of pepperonis each year.
- Pizzerias are expected to purchase more than USD 4 billion worth of cheese annually by 2010.
- More than 36% of all pizza orders are with pepperoni as a topping.
- 94 percent of Americans eat pizza regularly.
- Americans eat nearly 100 acres of pizza per day, or around 350 slices every second.
- There are roughly 61,269 pizzerias in the U.S.
- Many people in America eat around 46 pizza slices in a year.
- October is National Pizza Month in the U.S.
- Italian is the most famous ethnic food in America
Pizza And Health
As one of the most popular foods in the world, pizza has become the focus of discussions about the disadvantages and advantages of eating it. Many scientists investigated the influence and long-term consequences of pizza on metabolism. One of the most popular misinterpretations about pizza is that it belongs to the group of so-called “fast food”. In fact, pizza can be a very nutritious food that can provide our body and metabolism with sufficient nutrients. Below is an explanation of some of the most common ingredients of pizza, and the positive and negative effects those ingredients have.
Tomato sauce is one of the most important and frequently used ingredients for pizza toppings. It contains lycopene, which is known to be a powerful antioxidant that fights many different types of cancer. Researchers have found that people who consume pizza at least once a week have a lower chance of getting many types of cancer (stomach, mouth, prostate, lung and other cancers). Some of the additional ingredients have an assertive effect on our metabolism: olive oil lowers bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol levels, thus protecting you from heart disease. Mozzarella cheese is rich in protein, fats, sodium, and calcium. Garlic is rich in manganese, selenium, vitamin C and other useful compounds, while oregano is a great source of manganese, vitamin K, oils and fiber.
People on a diet may discover that vegetable pizza or a pizza made with olives, fish and olive oil, is one of the healthiest diet foods in the world. These pizzas can be prepared in such a way that they have an exceptional taste and yet contain small amounts of cholesterol and fat normally associated with meat and cheese. Cheese on pizza is also an excellent source of calcium, which reduces the possibility of colon cancer.
However, reducing the amount of cheese on a pizza, and using more tomato sauce instead, can be better for your health. A balanced mix of cheese, crust, and topping is possible to create an optimally healthy pizza. Although many people try to classify pizza as “fast food”, a pizza made exactly in this way, with high-quality ingredients, can certainly be called a “healthy pizza”. The method for such a pizza is to use extra virgin olive oil, whole wheat crust, no extra salt, and a limited amount of cheese. Vegetables, lean meat and/or fruit are placed on top.
Negative health effects can occur when pizza is delivered without any interest in its final quality (bad recipes, inferior ingredients, etc.). Tests on frozen pizzas, and those produced in large pizzerias, have shown high fat content, high salt content, and lots of calories. One of the largest pizza chains in the world, Pizza Hut, marketed foods containing more than twice the recommended daily amount of salt for an adult in one period.
Pizza In The U.S
The first pizza in the U.S. was reported in the early years of the 20th century, and the first pizzeria was founded in New York in 1905, a city that had an extremely powerful combination of entrepreneurial spirit and a high population of Italian immigrants. However, pizza didn’t become mainstream until 40 years year, after US soldiers returned from the Second World War, with tales of now-famous European dishes that helped them survive through rigid military campaigns. It was precisely at this time, in the late 1940s and 50s, that Hollywood began marketing pizzas, and the appeal of Frank Sinatra, Jerry Colonna, baseball star Joe DiMaggio and Jimmy Durante put pizza in the national spotlight.
Most Popular Pizzas in U.S. Are:
• Chicago-style pizza
• California-style pizza
• Greek pizza
• Detroit-style pizza
• New Haven-style pizza
• Hawaiian pizza
• Quad City-style pizza
• New York-style pizza
• Old Forge-style pizza
• St. Louis-style pizza
Most Popular Pizza Cheeses:
• Cheddar
• Provolone
• Parmesan
• Low-moisture mozzarella
• Ricotta
• Romano
