953 nut 57,584 #1 Posted February 9 Join us on February 9 as we celebrate National Pizza Day! It’s hard to imagine that before World War II, pizza was little known outside of Italy or Italian immigrant communities. This cheesy disc went from a niche cultural meal to the star of the show anywhere it turns up! Let’s hear it for pizza! It is one of the numerous, delicious food holidays in the U.S. Obviously, Pizza Pie Day is a day for celebrating pizza, one of the most popular foods Americans enjoy. Did you know that 36% of Americans eat pizza as a breakfast meal? Historians claim that pizza-like dishes have been a common staple in the ancient Middle East, but it was Italians who perfected and popularized the recipe. As World War II troops grew fond of pizzas while they served in Italy, pizzerias also sprung up in the U.S. to meet the returning soldiers’ demands for pizzas. The word ‘pizza’ first appears in a document in Gaeta, a city in Southern Italy in 997 A.D. By 1861 King Umberto and Queen Margherita of the newly unified Italy visit Naples and the Margherita pizza gets its name. Baker Raffaele Esposito of Na In 1905 Italian immigrant Gennaro Lombardi opened North America’s first pizzeria, Lombardi’s, in New York City. Pizzeria Uno in Chicago invented the deep-dish pizza in 1943, sparking the still unsettled debate of whether a casserole can really be a pizza. Following World War Two the popularity of pizzas among returning servicemen sparked a rapid growth in the number of Pizza Palaces in the United States and Canada. In 1958 Pizza Hut, the leading chain pizza restaurant chain in the US was founded in Wichita, Kansas. 2 2 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 70,390 #2 Posted February 9 PIZZA !!!! 🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peter lena 9,068 #3 Posted February 9 @953 nut my nephews in phoenix are BIANCO , PIZZA , 3 JAMES BEARD AWARDS , chris does most of the baking and mark does all the bread making , in fact he has a bread making class in town . love to go to a local farmer , that supplies him with fresh ingredients , and sit under a shade tree , enjoying his food . ingredients are picked daily , and delivered daily , glad for them and all their hard work , my sister is also responsible , for showing them how to , pass on grandma's recipes . around my way , in new london ct , OCEAN PIZZA , is very good , like a hamburger / bacon pizza , their portions are also big , easily letting you get , lunch out of left overs . yummy , pete 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lynnmor 7,546 #4 Posted February 9 3 hours ago, ebinmaine said: PIZZA !!!! 🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 57,584 #5 Posted February 9 One of the most memorable pizzas (notice I didn't say best, I said memorable) was in Italian restaurant in Mexico City. I should have known that an Italian restaurant in Mexico wasn't going to be truly Italian. The added HOT peppers were fine by me but the refried beans just seemed out of place on a pizza. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
8ntruck 7,339 #6 Posted February 9 . That's what you call cultural adaptation. When we were in Finland visiting the exchange student we had hosted, he ordered a pizza. We went to pick it up, and discovered that it was a meter in diameter - barely fit through the door and into the little European car he had. The local topping of choice? TUNA. My favorite breakfast pizza - leftover ham, pineapple, onion, and extra cheese. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wayne0 860 #7 Posted February 9 My "go too" food! Has all major food groups, but HAS to be thin Italian style crust. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 13,266 #8 Posted February 9 Strangely, I didn’t like pizza at all through high school. Only in college did I start to enjoy it but it was never a real “go to." Even today, my wife will happily re-heat leftover pizza for lunch while I make myself a PB&J. 1 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 57,584 #9 Posted February 10 5 hours ago, Handy Don said: I make myself a PB&J. Been my go-to all my life. In fact I had a PBJ for supper tonight. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rjg854 11,866 #10 Posted February 10 13 hours ago, 953 nut said: In fact I had a PBJ for supper tonight. The breakfast of champions. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 70,390 #11 Posted February 10 On 2/9/2025 at 12:58 PM, 8ntruck said: favorite breakfast pizza - leftover ham, pineapple, ------ , and extra cheese Around here we call that a Hawaiian or ham and pineapple. On the subject of breakfast pizza, I had never heard of that until I moved to Maine in 2000. Up here, it's a definite staple. North central Massachusetts where I'm originally from. Never even seen it.... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wallfish 17,406 #12 Posted February 10 3 hours ago, ebinmaine said: Around here we call that a Hawaiian or ham and pineapple. On the subject of breakfast pizza, I had never heard of that until I moved to Maine in 2000. Up here, it's a definite staple. North central Massachusetts where I'm originally from. Never even seen it.... We were out in Western NY somewhere and had a breakfast pizza, normal crust, scrambled eggs and we had ours topped with sausage and bacon, then the cheese went on. It was delicious! That was probably 20 - 25 years ago when we discovered a breakfast pizza. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 70,390 #13 Posted February 10 1 minute ago, wallfish said: We were out in Western NY somewhere and had a breakfast pizza, normal crust, scrambled eggs and we had ours topped with sausage and bacon, then the cheese went on. It was delicious! That was probably 20 - 25 years ago when we discovered a breakfast pizza. Yessuh. That's exactly what they do up here. Love it. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davem1111 2,091 #14 Posted February 11 (edited) I didn't see this thread and didn't know about National Pizza Day until now, but I don't feel bad because the wife and I shared a delicious gluten-free margherita pizza at our local "Mother Bear's" here in Bloomington yestereday after some fun climbing at our local climbing gym. Having lived in NJ and Eastern PA for many years, a slightly crunchy thin crust is the "proper" pizza, folded longways of course to eat it. But personally, I also like a doughy deep dish pizza too, especially with a stuffed crust - nothing wrong with that. I think back east they call that style Sicilian. Some of the Italian places in NJ just make it with dough and tomato sauce, no other toppings. Even that is delicious. Oh, and since the latter part of the thread was about Breakfast Pizza... I don't think I've ever had this. Need to explore it Edited February 11 by davem1111 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
