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Fun Facts on Pizza

Pizza is one of the most popular foods in the world. It’s beloved by people of all ages and cultures, and there are endless ways to customise it. But how much do you really know about this delicious dish? Check out these fun facts on pizza

Fun Facts About Pizza You Didn't Know

1. The United States eats 350 slices of pizza every second

Americans sure do love their pizza, so much that they eat 100 acres of it everyday! That’s 3 billion pizzas per year according to the Washington Post.

2. 36% of Americans think pizza is a breakfast meal

Pizza always tastes amazing when you have it for leftovers, but for breakfast? 36% of Americans seem to agree with that.

3. The most expensive pizza in the world costs $12,000

The most expensive pizza is the world was created by Renato Viola in Salerno, Italy, and is called the Louis XIII. The dough is made from organic Arabian flour, and dusted with Murray River pink salt and takes 72-hours to prepare. The toppings include three types of rare caviar, Norwegian lobster, along with 7 types of cheese.

4. The largest pizza in the world had a surface area of 1,261.65 m²

5. A pizza was delivered to space

In 2001, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Usachov received a six-inch pepperoni Pizza Hut pizza that he wolfed down onboard the ISS, becoming the first astronaut to eat a slice in space. The pizza was sent the International Space Station (ISS) onboard a resupply rocket

6. The outside edge is known as the 'Cornicione'

Cornicione is an Italian noun that means edge or rim. You will often hear the base of a pizza called a crust but in Italy the crust only refers to the very bottom of the pizza. A true Neapolitan pizza will have a thick cornicione (outer rim or edge) that has crunchy outside texture and an airy chewy inside.

7. The word pizza dates back to 997 CE

The word pizza dates back over a thousand years; it was first mentioned in a Latin text written in southern Italy in 997 CE.

8. Americas first pizza parlour is still operating today

The first pizza place in America was Lombardi’s in New York City. Originally opened as a grocery store, Lombardi’s started selling pizza in 1905.

9. Politicians have used pizza deliveries to spy on reporters

In the late 1960s, the U.S. Army’s 113th Military Intelligence Unit spied on reporters and politicians using fake pizza deliveries.

10. There is a pizza expert known as the 'dough doctor'

When pizza chefs around the world need help with their recipes, they turn to “Dough Doctor” Tom Lehmann. Lehmann, who lives in Manhattan, Kansas, is a pizza expert who has been working with the American Institute of Baking since 1967.

11. October is national pizza month

National Pizza Month began in October 1984 and was created by the publisher of Pizza Today magazine and pizzeria owner, Gerry Durnell. He chose October because it’s the month the first issue of his magazine debuted.

12. Pizza has been used for self-defence

Pizza has also helped prevent several crimes: In 2008 when a pizza delivery man in Florida was confronted by robbers, he flung the hot pizza he was delivering at the gunman and made a safe getaway as he turned and ran.

13. Dough spinning is a form of art

Think it sounds easy? Dough spinning is actually a professional sporting event where pizza teams compete in acrobatic dough-spinning competitions and World Pizza Championships.

14. The Margherita pizza takes its name from Queen Margherita

According to legend, the “Pizza Margherita” takes its name from Queen Margherita of Savoy who, in 1889, sampled three pizza flavors made by master pizza chef Raffaele Esposito and expressed a preference for the version topped with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, and designed to resemble the Italian flag.

15. The risk of some cancers could be reduced by pizza

Italian researchers claim that eating pizza regularly can reduce the risk of developing oesophageal cancer by 59%, mouth cancer by 34% and colon cancer by 26%.

16. The largest pizza delivery was 30,000 pizzas

The largest pizza delivery was organised by Pizzas 4 Patriots (USA), who sent 30,000 pizzas with DHL Express to the United States Armed Forces, in Kandahar Airfield, Bagram Airbase and Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, on 4 July 2012.

17. Alaska delivers pizza by plane

An Alaska company has taken pizza to new heights by providing airplane deliveries around the state. Papa Murphy’s in Anchorage flies hundreds of miles to deliver about 150 pizzas each week.

18. Norway consumes the most pizza

Norwegians consume the most pizza in the world on a per-person ratio. Norway has a population of about 5.5 million and they eat about 5kgs of pizza each annually.

19. Common pizza toppings in Japan include squid and mayo

Japanese pizza is known to be topped with just about anything you can think of. Other popular toppings include corn, potatoes, tuna, and bacon.

20. 'Happy' pizza in Cambodia is cooked with marijuana

“Happy” pizza, which is pizza cooked with marijuana, is a popular dish in Cambodia. Marijuana still has major restrictions in Cambodia, so snack on this with caution!

21. In 2013, Domino's made DVDs that smelled like pizza

Domino’s Brazil set up a campaign in 2013 with 10 rental stores to release DVDs that smelled like pizza when you used them. The disc would also show a picture of a pizza after it was ejected, thanks to thermal ink technology.

22. Domino's delivers more than 1 million pizzas a day worldwide

This chain has 17,200 locations globally, making it one of the most prominent pizzeria chains in the business. So it’s not too surprising that the chain sells an average of three million pizzas daily around the world.