National Pizza Day

This week we're celebrating #NationalPizzaDay all week! Sunday the 9th was one of America's favorites food's day to shine. No matter your age, you probably can't pass up a good greasy slice of pizza. It's the way to a kid's heart and a great party or event food for almost any occasion.

The word pizza was 1st documented in A.D. 997 in Gaeta, Italy. The history of pizza goes WAY back to when ancient cultures would make flatbreads and now there are pizzerias all over the world, the 1st pizzeria opening in Naples, Italy in 1738, and Gennaro Lombardi being the 1st Pizzeria in the US in 1895 in NY. These flatbreads were consumed by the ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks as well. 

You can have so much fun with pizza. Mix it up, switch it up, and customize it just like you like it. when it comes to the crust, you can have Chicago style, deep dish, thin-crust, even cauliflower crust for the gluten-free folk. 

When it comes to what you have on it, there are SO many options; different meats, cheeses, veggies, fruits, and whatever makes your heart happy.

Here are a couple fun facts about pizza that I found on the National Day Calendar:

• 36% of all pies ordered are pepperoni. It's the most popular pizza
• Over 3 billion pizzas are sold in the USA each year.  Add another 1 billion on frozen pizzas
• 17% of all US Restaurants are pizzerias.
• Americans consume on average 23 pounds of pizza per person each year.
• In the late '60s, the US Army's 113th Military Intelligence unit used the tastiest trick in their book -- fake pizza deliveries --to spy on reporters and politicians-- according to The New Yorker.
• Longest pizza delivery: In 2006, Paul Fenech traveled 12, 346.6 miles from Madrid to Wellington, New Zealand, to hand-deliver a pizza to Niko Apostolakis. 
• Most expensive pizza commercially available: Topped with white Stilton cheese, French foie gras and truffles, two types of caviar, and 24-karat gold leaves, all on a bed of black squid ink dough, this pizza will cost you $2,700. This delicacy can be found at Industry Kitchen in New York.
• The highest altitude pizza delivery on land is 5,897 m (19,347 ft) and was achieved by Pizza Hut Africa (South Africa) and Yum! Brands (USA) at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, between 5-8 May 2016.

A team delivered pizza to the Summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania in 2016. 

The altitude was 19,347 ft

I love a good slice of "New York-style pizza". Big, flat, and greasy...that's my fav! I prefer sausage and extra cheese and extra sauce. I also like dipping my pizza with marinara sauce (if it needs it) and I almost always dip it in ranch. 

Tell me about your favorite pizza?