| Pizza is easily one of the most popular foods in the | | | | emigrating to the U.S. in larger numbers. And as |
| world. In fact, based on industry figures, every | | | | waves of immigrants continued to arrive on U.S. |
| person in the U.S. eats over 23 pounds of pizza each | | | | shores through the early 1900s, pizza became more |
| year. There are 3 billion pizzas sold each year in the | | | | and more popular, but mainly just in areas where |
| U.S. alone, for a revenue of nearly $40 billion. This is | | | | there were substantial Italian American populations. It |
| no niche cuisine. This is a huge, powerful industry, | | | | wasn't until after World War II-with thousands of |
| with a few major companies dominating the sales, | | | | American soldiers returning from Italy demanding |
| plus thousands of small pizza makers providing variety | | | | pizza at home-that the dish became widely popular. |
| and quality. | | | | Pizza Styles |
| Perhaps the best thing about pizza is its versatility. | | | | While new styles of pizza are always being created, |
| Plain cheese pizza is a perennial favorite, and it's | | | | there are currently five types that you can generally |
| almost amazing how delicious such a simple dish can | | | | find in any major city: |
| be. And as for toppings, pizza makers are only limited | | | | 1. Neapolitan: Neapolitan pizza has a thin, bubbly crust |
| by their imaginations and by customer demand. | | | | covered by basil and mozzarella that doesn't spread |
| Pizza History | | | | as widely as it does on American varieties. It's often |
| Pizza is known as an Italian food, but it likely has its | | | | cooked in a brick oven. |
| rudimentary origins in Ancient Greece, where one | | | | 2. New York: New York pizza is thin crusted, with |
| popular dish was to put a variety of toppings-including | | | | sweet tomato sauce and a layer of cheese that |
| cheese, oils, and seasonings-onto round flatbread, | | | | covers the whole pizza. In general, New York pizza |
| which is pretty close to pizza. | | | | doesn't have a lot of toppings, or else it starts to |
| But the word "pizza," meaning "pie," probably wasn't | | | | become something else. |
| coined until the early 2nd millennium A.D., somewhere | | | | 3. Chicago: Chicago pizza is very thick, usually cooked |
| on the western coast of Italy. However, there was | | | | in a pan. The order of toppings is reversed-with the |
| one hitch to early pizza development: tomatoes are | | | | cheese first, toppings second, and sauce last. |
| actually a New World fruit, and they didn't become | | | | 4. Greek: Greek pizza often has oil instead of pizza |
| available in Italy until the 1500s. Thus, pizza as we | | | | sauce, and it's frequently topped with feta, olives, |
| now know it didn't develop until relatively recently. It | | | | and spinach. |
| was probably not until the late 1700s that the | | | | 5. California: California style pizzas have very thin |
| residents of Naples started making recognizable pizza. | | | | crusts, and makers frequently get very creative with |
| Pizza was primarily an Italian peasant food until the | | | | their vegetable toppings, often using whatever is in |
| late 1800s, when the Italian royals tried it and loved it. | | | | season. |
| It was also during this time that Italians began | | | | |