All Things

By Amanda Merrill, Family & Kids

Did you know that February 9th is National Pizza Day? Pizza is one of America’s favorite foods. Most Americans order pizza at least once a month!

Did you know that pizza got its start as an affordable meal for families in Italy? Soldiers stationed in Italy likely were influential in making pizza an American sensation upon their return home from World War II.

It first came to the states in 1897, known as an ‘Italian pie.’ The first ‘pies’ were sold in grocery stores in New York. The owner, Gennaro Lombardi opened the first pizzeria in 1905!

According to a 2022 survey of over 2,000 adults by OnePoll, Americans’ least-favorite pizza toppings, in order, are anchovies, pineapple and jalapeno peppers. A majority of respondents said that they’d be willing to try plant-based meat toppings, if the alternative “tasted just as good” as the original.

There were variations in how the respondents preferred to eat their slices. Slightly over a quarter go pointy-end first, less than 20 percent attack it from the crust side, another 17 percent fold it in half, and an eager 14 percent say they stack two slices and eat them simultaneously.