Celebrating National Pizza Day with a real slice of nice!

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Any way you slice it, National Pizza Day on Thursday is one of the most delicious days of the year. From thin crust to deep dish to gluten-free, we’re celebrating big time!

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Pizza has quite the heritage dating back centuries. The Romans were enjoying their own version of pizza with a bread made up of layers of dough interspersed with honey, cheese and herbs before being baked. But, arguably the Neapolitans of Italy invented this exceptional dish back in the 18th century.

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According to National Today, “the modern birthplace of the pizza is southwestern Italy’s Campania region, home to Naples.” For centuries, this waterfront city’s pride was this humble dish – early pizzas featured tasty toppings including tomatoes, cheese, oil, anchovies, and garlic.

Initially, many of the aristocracy looked down their noses at pizza, but in 1861, with Italy finally unified, King Umberto I and Queen Margherita visited Naples in 1889, where legend has it the travelling pair “became bored with their steady diet of French cuisine and asked for an assortment of pizzas from the city’s Pizzeria Brandi, founded in 1760,” notes the website. “The queen particularly enjoyed one called pizza mozzarella, a pie topped with the soft white cheese, red tomatoes, and green basil – much resembling the Italian flag.” Thus was born the Margherita pizza enjoyed today.

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Pizza ruled in Italy, but not really anywhere else, until after the Second World War, when the cascade of Italian immigrants entered North American shores, bringing with them cherished possessions, including the secrets to a decent pizza.

Today, just about every corner in every neighbourhood has a pizza joint, be it a popular chain or a mom-and-pop operation. Of course there’s the frozen stuff you can pick up anywhere – and nothing beats homemade.

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National Pizza Day stats

– 3% of Americans would rather eat pizza than have a boyfriend or girlfriend. The response among females was slightly higher.

– Pizza ranks the second most popular fast food in America, behind hamburgers.

– 350 pizza slices are sold in the U.S. every second.

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– 251.7 million lbs. of pepperoni are consumed in the U.S. every year, most of which ends up on a pizza.

A pizza the action

– During the Super Bowl, more than 2 million pizzas are sold by franchise Pizza Hut alone.

– Pineapple on pizza continues to be one of the strongest debated subjects in the food world. Who can we blame? Canada! Word is Sam Panopoulos, a Greek immigrant who moved to Canada in 1954, created the first Hawaiian pizza in Chatham, Ont.

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Look who’s celebrating a milestone anniversary

Both Pizzaville and Pizza Nova franchise food companies are synonymous with this beloved food – and both are celebrating 60 years of delicious service to fans of southern Ontario. Success can be found in the fact the companies have strong roots in the community and are family-run: Sam Primucci is the patriarch of Pizza Nova, now run by his son Domenic, while the Contardi family (president Angelo, his wife Nella, and their family) have been providing pizza, panzerotti and more to diehard fans. What’s more, both companies have strong ties to charitable initiatives such as children’s charities, hospitals and foundations. We’ll have a slice of that!

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Pizzeria Libretto At-Home Pizza Dough

Looking for a go-to pizza dough for home? We reached out to executive chef Rocco Agostino of Pizzeria Libretto fame, who generously offered his own personal dough to call your own! Toppings are up to you!

4 cups bread flour

1-1/2 cups water

2-1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2-1/4 tsp. dry active yeast

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and mix by hand. (or use mixer if you have one) until all ingredients are mixed together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until you have a smooth dough, (light dust with flour as needed). Let rest in a lightly oiled bowl for 30 minutes.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut dough into 300g portions (enough for three balls.) Fold each portion into itself, then cup dough and roll on counter until it comes together into a tight ball. Place each ball in a bowl or tray that has been lightly oiled, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes. After last rest period, place dough in the fridge overnight. Dough can be used up to 2-3 days after being made.

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For pizza: Remove dough at least 30 minutes before using. Stretch dough to roughly 12-inches in size. Dress with desired toppings.

Baking: Having a pizza stone is the best way to cook the pizza in a home oven. If you don’t have a pizza stone, a large cast iron pan or sheet pan turned upside down would work. Preheat the oven to 550°F with the pizza stone in it. Dress pizza once the oven is ready. Bake pizza for 5-7 minutes (depending on your oven and how hot it gets) until the crust is a nice golden colour and has slight blistering. Enjoy!