] kac [ weblog ]: World Pizza Day

ODAY IS WORLD PIZZA Day! Not to be confused with INTERNATIONAL PIZZA DAY, which is July 1st. I guess it's kind of like the difference between Miss Universe and Miss Galaxy (there actually is a Miss Galaxy pageant).

From webindia123.com:

The city of Naples, Italy Tuesday prepared to kick off its 11th annual Pizzafest with the first ever World Pizza Day.

Thursday's celebration will draw pizza-makers and lovers from all over the world, including Neapolitans returning from the United States, Australia and Japan, ANSA reports.

The annual festival turns out hundreds of pizzas as it seeks the best Neopolitan pizza maker, ANSA said. This year's celebration will also include a bigger-than-ever exhibit on the history of Naples' most famous export.

Neapolitan Pizza Association President Antonio Pace said his association has no objection to pizzas being made around the world, as long as they respect the rules, ANSA said.

But to know if a pizza tastes as it should, it's better to try it at least once in Naples so you can compare it with those being produced elsewhere, he added.

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PIZZA:

• Pizzerias represent 17% of all restaurants.

• Italian food ranks as the most popular ethnic food in America.

• Each man, woman and child in America eats an average of 46 slices (23 pounds) of pizza a year. (source: Packaged Facts, New York)

• Pizza is a $30+ billion per year industry. There are approximately 69,000 pizzerias in the United States. Approximately 3 billion pizzas are sold in the U.S. each year.

• Pepperoni is by far America's favorite topping, (36% of all pizza orders). Approximately 251,770,000 pounds of pepperoni are consumed on pizzas annually. Other popular pizza toppings are mushrooms, extra cheese, sausage, green pepper and onions.

• Barbeque pizza emerged as one of the more popular pizza variations in a 1994 study by the National Restaurant Association. Nearly 33% of menus offered some form of this dish. Other popular variations were Mexican pizza, white pizza, five-cheese combos, non-cheese pies and traditional Italian pizzas such as Margherita, Florentine and new potato pizzas.

• Pizza Hut is the largest pizza purveyor in the world, with 12,583 total restaurants and combination delivery/takeout units in the U.S. and over 90 other countries; 6,590 units are company-owned. Pizza Hut generated approximately $7.7 billion in sales in 1996. (Chain Store Guide.)

• Domino's Pizza is the world leader in delivery, with 5,500 stores in 46 international markets. Domino's reached $2.8 billion in sales in 1996. (Chain Store Guide.)

• Sixty-two percent of Americans prefer meat toppings on their pizza, while 38% prefer vegetarian. (source: Bolla wines)

• Women are twice as likely as men to order vegetable toppings on their pizza. (Source: Bolla wines)

• Papa John's is considered the fastest growing franchise in the country, with 1,160 units generating $613 million in sales in 1996. (Chain Store Guide.)

• Regular thin pizza crust is still the most popular crust, preferred by 61 percent of the population. Thick crust and deep dish tied for second, at 14%. Only 11 percent of the population prefers extra thin. (Source: CREST [Consumer Reports on Eating Share Trends], 1994)

• Three of the top 10 weeks of pizza consumption occur in January. More pizza is consumed during Super Bowl week than any other week of the year. (Source: Kraft Foods, Northfield, Ill.)

• Around the world, toppings vary greatly to reflect regional preferences. In Japan, for instance, eel and squid are favorites. In Pakistan, curry is a big seller. In Russia, red herring is a topping of choice and Australians enjoy shrimp and pineapple on their pies as well as barbecue toppings. Costa Ricans favor coconut. (Courtesy of Numero Uno Pizzeria)

• Over the past five years, pizza has outpaced the growth rate of all other food service items, averaging about 11 percent a year and making it the Number 2 item in foodservice (after burgers). (Source: Food Industry News)

• Pizza is the second most popular takeout food (after chicken) among the over-50 market.