Home | Pizza Trivia | Specials/Coupons | Menu | Contact Us
Pizza Trivia
A Little Bit of Pizza Trivia
Interesting Slices of Pizza Trivia of Which You Might Not Be Aware
Americans are very fond of pizza, and here is a bit of fun pizza trivia. Americans fell so in love with pizza that in 1987, the month of October was designated National Pizza Month. Statistics show that Americans eat this Italian creation in huge quantities – nearly 100 acres of pizza are consumed every day in the United States. This translates to approximately 350 slices per second. Each man, woman and child consumes approximately 46 slices, or 23 pounds, of pizza per year. As you can imagine, if pizza is being consumed in these mass quantities, the pizza industry must be a lucrative business to get into. The pizza industry is a $30-billion business per year. Roughly three billion pizzas are sold each year by 61,269 U.S.-based pizzerias.
Just as there are statistics related to the quantities of pizza consumed by people in the U.S., there are also statistics and fun facts about toppings and other preferences Americans have when it comes to eating that yummy slice of pizza. First and foremost, America’s favorite topping when it comes to this Italian specialty is pepperoni, which accounts for about 36 percent of all pizza orders in the U.S. This means we eat approximately 251,770,000 pounds of the stuff per year. Other popular toppings are sausage, onions, mushrooms and green peppers. Ranking dead last on the list of Americans’ favorite toppings is anchovies.
While traditional toppings are what have long dominated the pizza market, new gourmet toppings are starting to make a dent in some areas of the country. Toppings such as chicken, oysters, crayfish, artichoke hearts and eggplant are beginning to make their marks on the pizza industry. Other recent trends include topping pizzas with game meats like venison and duck. If you are a traditional pizza lover, you may think that sounds a little odd. You may think the same about other strange toppings for pizza, including bacon and eggs, peanut butter and jelly, and mashed potatoes. Pizza makers have tried virtually every food as a pizza topping. As for most Americans, traditional pizza styles reign supreme. Sixty-two percent of Americans prefer meat on their pizzas, whereas the other 38 percent prefer veggies. Women are twice as likely as men to order these vegetarian pizzas.
Americans love pizza, but we are not the only ones on the planet who have discovered this delectable delight. Many countries have given their own flair to a classic favorite. In Japan, eel and squid are favorite toppings of the natives, while in Pakistan, curry is very popular. In Russia, red herring is a popular topping, and in Australia, locals favor barbeque toppings as well as shrimp and pineapple. While Costa Ricans favor coconut as a topping to a pizza pie, in the Netherlands, “Double Dutch” is a favorite (consisting of double cheese, double onions and double beef).
Whatever toppings you like to incorporate on your personal pizza, whether they include the traditionally favored pepperoni or the less traditional P.B. and J. with a twist, these slices of pizza trivia should prove very interesting.
818 S. Main Street
Fond du Lac, WI 54935
Fax: 920-926-9955
mancinos@charter.net
