1. For 7,000 years, within nearly every culture, there has been
some form of pizza (flat bread seasoned with oil and herbs)
as a dietary staple. In 1905, Gennaro Lombardi, an Italian
immigrant, opened the first pizzeria in New York
City and in the decade following, pizza parlors
started popping up throughout the country.
However, it wasn’t until 40 years later when
soldiers had returned home from World War II and wanted a taste of the savory treat they had found in Europe that pizza
gained it’s popularity. Shortly thereafter, national chains began popping up; the first being Pizza Hut in 1958, Little
Caesars in 1959 and Domino’s in 1960, making pizza more accessible to all Americans. Fast-forward five decades and
there is an estimated 70,000 pizza parlors in the US—9,000 of which are in New York alone. Statistics show that
worldwide over 5 billion pizzas are sold annually, and American’s consume 60% or 3 billion of them-- that’s a
staggering number that begs the question, why do we love it so much? Is it the fact that you can share it? Sure,
you can order a personal pizza or a slice if you happen to be alone, a germaphobe or a foodie requiring a
bizarre combination of toppings that your friends or family wouldn’t dare try, but pizza was originally
intended to be a food that is shared. It’s likely that your first memories of food involved pizza--a
staple at childhood birthday parties, sleepovers, after a soccer game or little league, on your first
date, what may have felt like every meal throughout college, Super Bowl Sundays, most Saturday
Nights or any day you couldn’t decide what to cook for dinner. Is it the variety or ability to
customize? There are countless options--with thin crust, thick crust, stuffed crust or deep
dish, coal-fired, wood-fired, traditional, grilled, gluten free or deep-fried. There are white
pizzas, veggie pizzas and Mac & Cheese pizzas--Hawaiian, Greek and Mediterranean
pizzas--lobster, caviar and sushi pizzas--PB&J, Apple Pie, Smore and Nutella pizzas.
The options are never-ending. With toppings from anchovies to zucchini and
everything in between, you can create a pizza to satisfy any imaginable
craving. While there is someone out there willing to try a pizza with every
conceivable combination, it’s highly unlikely that pepperoni will ever fall
from favor. In the US, we consume 252 million pounds of pepperoni
on pizzas annually. Throughout the US, there are many dedicated
regional styles of pizza such as New York, Brooklyn, Chicago,
Detroit, California, St. Louis and New Haven. So, regardless
ofwhereyouliveorwhereyouarefrom,ifyoucallitapizza
or a pie, if it’s round or square, if it’s sweet or savory, if
you fold it or eat it with a fork and knife, eat it hot for
dinner or cold for breakfast, one thing is certain,
pizza will probably continue to be a dietary
staple for another 7,000 years and possibly
the only choice in life that everyone from
babies to great grandparents can agree
on and more importantly share.
In South Florida, New York
style reigns supreme. So when
you are craving authentic
New York style pizza, try
DelVecchio’s Pizzeria
& Italian Restaurant
which uses only
the freshest
ingredients
today!
By KELLY BAKERTHINK DINING
POWERED BY DELVECCHIO’S PIZZERIA, DELVECCHIOSPIZZA.COM
Pizza[...a slice of perfection]