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Pizza Tops the List of Favorite Foods in U.S.
By Elana Watson
Right up there with baseball and apple pie, pizza has become an American icon, no longer just reserved for college students on a budget – but a family favorite across the country. Whether it’s piled high with pepperoni and mozzarella or loaded with pineapples and ham, pizza is one of the most popular foods in the United States. Americans gobble up around 350 slices of pizza per second, which amounts to around one-hundred acres of pizza each day. By many estimates, an average American will eat twenty-three pounds of pizza annually. History. Pizza might not be a strictly Italian offering; unleavened bread that was seasoned with olive oil and spices was eaten many years before in Ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt. The familiar pizza that is served up at your local pizzeria or out of your own freezer is akin to the pies that were first baked up in Naples, Italy in the latter part of the 19th century by baker Raffaele Esposito who concocted the dish for royal guests. The ingredients for Esposito’s original pizza pie were inspired by the red, white and green colors of the Italian flag and are represented through the colors of the tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. The esteemed guests, Italian monarch King Umberto and his wife Queen Margherita, were so impressed with the pizza served to them that they begun to applaud about it to others and a phenomenon was born. It did not take long for pizza to arrive in the U.S. as Italian immigrants begun to settle in Chicago and New York and established small restaurants and cafes that served the dish in the earth 1900s. Soldiers returning from WWII who had served in Italy and developed a taste for the beloved pie helped to spur on the popularity of pizza in the U.S. That popularity begun to grow throughout the 20th century, and now 94% of all Americans eat pizza regularly. Toppings. The biggest selling point of a pizza may very well be its toppings. In the United States, pepperoni is considered to be the most popular topping, accounting for around 1/3rd of all pizza orders at restaurants that serve pizza; in fact, over ¼ of a million pounds of pepperoni is used on pizza in our country each year. Other toppings of choice include Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, green pepper, onion, ham, pineapple and of course, extra cheese. And while the majority of folks prefer meat on their pizzas, around 1/3rd of all pizzas are ordered with vegetarian only toppings. For those with a taste for the more exotic, everything from oysters to Cajun shrimp has also been offered up for pizza toppings in gourmet pizzerias around the country. Pizza toppings around the world might shock you; in Japan, eel and squid are popular while in Brazil, green peas are favored as a topping. Popular toppings in Russia include sardines and onions while coconut is a favorite in Costa Rica . Staying Power. Pizza is so heralded that the month of October has been designated as National Pizza Month in the United States since back in 1987 which stands as a tribute to the staying power of pizza. Pizza is a thirty billion dollar a year industry with around 69,000 pizza restaurants operating in our country that sell around three billion pizzas annually. This represents nearly 1/5th of all restaurants in the country and accounts for around ten percent of all food service sales. Photo from Flickr - "Take-Out @ Singas Famous Pizza" courtesy of wEnDaLicious . |
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Pizza has staying power,Elana. October being "National Pizza Month", is just one more reason that we're an obese society.
Calories in a "Thin Crust" Pizza:
Cheese Pizza, 230 calories per slice.
Pepperoni Pizza, 290 calories per slice.
Veggie Pizza, 215 calories per slice.
"Regular Crust" add 60 calories per slice.
"Pan Pizza" add 120 calories per slice.
Most people can't eat just one slice!
I love pizza,but I can't recommend it as healthy.
Thank you for sharing, Elana.
Best to you.
Frederick
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Hi Frederick, Appreciate that useful information on calories. Counting calories, though, is a tiresome job. I would prefer burning them instead. Building muscles is essential. The more muscles you have, the more calories your body will burn.
Granted that Pizza cannot be the most healthy of foods, but it is an enjoyable meal for all the family. There are so many reasons not to eat a variety of yummy foods yet provided they're eaten in moderation any harm should be minimal. To overcome obesity people should take more exercise. Simply walking for twenty minutes a day will take off pounds.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
You are absolutely right,SYRGRADUATE. Exercises are crucial if we want to overcome obesity.
I love a good pepperoni pizza. Unfortunately, pizza doesn't love me...
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Hi James, I bet Pizza doesn't love most of us.
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