World Pizza Day 2022 is officially here! February 9th has been the official World Pizza Day since 2000 and people all around the globe celebrate with this cheesy dish. Most people enjoy pizzas, whether you are celebrating moving to a new house, crying in front of “The Notebook” or grabbing a slice between meetings on the busy streets of New York – pizza is the go-to food for many. But did you know that UNESCO put the Neapolitan Pizza on their list of intangible cultural heritage in 2017? The more you know! Interested in more pizza facts? Keep reading.
1. A pizza named after a Queen
The world famous traditional “Margherita” pizza is supposedly named after Queen Margherita who visited Naples in year 1889 with her husband, King Umberto I. The famous pizza-maker Raffaele Esposito was asked to create three different pizzas for the royal couple, and whilst the first two did not suit the Queens taste buds, the third one was a hit. The story says that the Queen loved that the pizza had the Italian flags color in the basil, tomato sauce and cheese. Raffaele Esposito then decided to name this, now classical, pizza after the Queen and that is how the now-favourite pizza got its name.
2. Pizza consumption around the globe
We all know that pizza is the favorite food for millions of people, but how much pizza is actually consumed every year? More than 5 billion pizzas are sold worldwide each year! When you are looking at the highest consumption per capita, Norway is actually the winner with the most pizza consumed on a per-person ratio, with about 5 kg consumed on average per year per person. The Norwegians also prefer to buy their pizzas frozen and just pop it in the oven, with approximately 47 million frozen pizzas consumed in Norway annually.
3. The most expensive pizza in the world
Most pizzas we have eaten have a reasonable price tag. But the most expensive pizza in the world will make you genuinely shocked. The Louis XIII pizza has a price tag of $12,000! A substantial portion of this high price comes from how it is made and prepared. First of all, it takes 72 hours to make. Second, you will have a pizza chef, sommelier and exclusive cutlery and plates delivered to your home in Italy to prepare the pizza. It is then topped with three different types of luxurious caviar, buffalo mozzarella and seven more cheeses. It also has Australian pink salt, prawns, mantis shrimp and lobster. Of course, the sommelier brings you a bottle of vintage Champagne. Do you think this justifies the high price tag?
4. The origin of the Hawaiian pizza
The name of the Hawaiian pizza is a bit misleading. It actually has its origins in Canada! In 1962, San Panopoulos from Greece, was running a pizzeria in Ontario and decided to try putting pineapple on the pizza. Now, it’s one of the most controversial pizzas with ongoing discussions about whether pineapple belongs on pizza or not.
Do you want to hear more interesting pizza facts? Get in contact with us and we’ll gladly share our favourite facts with you.