VITAL PIZZA TIPS

Pizza Facts
Pizza, the American food icon, which was actually developed in Italy thousand years ago, tops the list of foods in demand all over the world, since decades. Pizza Hut, Domino’s Pizza, Papa John’s are some of the leading pizza purveyors in the world today. People of America, France, England and Spain knew nothing about Pizza until second world war. Now, pizza is the second most popular takeout food (burger being the first) in the U.S. According to the food industry news, the growth rate of pizza has exceeded the growth rate of all other food service items, over the past five years, averaging about 11% a year. It has become the favorite dish of children as well as elderly people, all over the world. Here is an overview of pizza facts and history. Read on other fast foods.

Pizza Facts and History

* If the question ‘where did pizza originate’ is haunting you, here is the answer. Centuries before, Greek people used to bake large, round, flat breads which they topped with various items such as olive oils, spices, potatoes and other things. Eventually, the idea was picked up by the Italians. The flat breads were sold on the streets of Naples first, as they were cheap, filling and tasty.
* The first known pizzeria, Antica Pizzeria, was opened in Naples, Italy, in 1738. Find out who invented pizza.
* In about 1889, when Queen Margherita visited Naples, to honor the queen, a very special pizza, topped with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil (to represent the colors of the Italian flag: Red, white and green) was baked just for her. Thereafter Italian pizzas gained popularity.
* When American soldiers were stationed in Italy during second world war, a growing appreciation of pizza was noticed. The new generation now, might think that pizza is original American food!
* According to the available records, the first pizzeria in the United States was opened by Gennaro Lombardi in 1895 in New York City.
* During 1950s, pizza became popular as the Italian celebrities like Jimmy Durante, Jerry Colonna, Frank Sinatra and baseball star Joe DiMaggio enjoyed eating pizza.
* You won’t believe perhaps, but the line from the song by famous singer, Dean Martin “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that amore” set America singing and eating pizzas.
* Now according to the official records, there are approximately 61,270 pizzerias in the United States, out of which, over 9,000 pizzeria’s are in New York alone.
* Italian food is the most popular ethnic food in America.
* 94% of the Americans love to eat pizza at least once a month.
* The number of pizzas sold in the U.S. each year is about 3 BILLION!
* The rate of eating pizza, of the people from the U.S. is around 350 SLICES/SECOND, amounting to 100 ACRES/DAY.
* The national pizza month is October.
* Pizza industry is a $ 30 BILLION industry.
* in Japan, people prefer pizza toppings with squid and Mayo Jaga (mayonaise, potato and bacon).
* In the U.S., about 40% people want their pizza topping to be pepperoni.
* In the U.S., the yearly consumption of pepperonis is said to be around 251,770,000 POUNDS!
* In India, people like pizza toppings with pickled ginger, minced mutton and tofu.
* Brazilians prefer green peas for their topping.
* In Russia, pizzas are served covered in mockba (a mix of sardines, tuna, mackeral, salmon and onions).
* Pizzerias constitute 17% of all U.S. restaurants.
* In the U.S., the chances of ordering vegetarian toppings are doubled when women, instead of men order the pizzas.

The above mentioned pizza facts and trivia were made available by the magazine, Pizza Today.

Pizza Nutritional Facts

Name of the Item Serving Size Calories Calories from Fat Total Fat Saturated Fat Cholesterol Sodium Carbohydrates Fiber Sugars Proteins
Hand Tossed Beef Pizza 134 gm 330 153 17 5 25 880 29 3 1 16
Hand Tossed Pepperoni 106 gm 250 99 11 6 45 730 27 2 2 11
Hand Tossed Cheese Pizza 106 gm 240 90 10 5 10 650 28 2 1 12
Pan Chicken Supreme Pizza 128 gm 270 108 12 4 15 580 24 2 2 13

I hope, the above examples elaborately describe the nutritional aspect of pizza facts. If you are interested in home made pizzas, read more on

* Gourmet Pizza Recipes
* French Bread Pizza Recipes
* Pizza Dough Recipe Without Yeast
Pizza Sauce Recipe from Scratch
Are you looking for a pizza sauce recipe from scratch? Then take a look at the article given below that will help you prepare your homemade recipe for pizza sauce.
Pizza Sauce Recipe from Scratch
Pizza! Just the name is enough to bring water to your mouth. It is one of the most popular menu all over the world. This is a unique food item where you can experiment with your favorite ingredients. The quality of the pizza crust, pizza sauce and the toppings used, together decide the final taste of the pizza.

Preparing a pizza at home can be fun. When you are preparing a homemade pizza, you can prepare a pizza dough recipe without yeast and homemade pizza sauce. Tomato is the main ingredient of pizza sauce and hence ensure that you buy fresh tomatoes for your pizza sauce. So, want to learn how to make pizza sauce recipe from scratch? Then check out some pizza sauce recipes given below.

Simple Pizza Sauce Recipe from Scratch

Ingredients

* Plum tomatoes (seeded) – 12
* White onion – 1
* Olive oil – 2 tablespoons
* Garlic (minced) – 2 tablespoons
* Salt – 1 tablespoon
* Red pepper – 1/2 tablespoon
* Sugar – 2 tablespoons

Procedure

Prepare the puree of the tomatoes in a food processor. Take a saucepan and heat olive oil in it. Then put chopped onions in it and sauté until they turn transparent and then add garlic to it. Put the tomato puree in the garlic onion mixture, along with salt, red pepper and sugar. Stir the mixture properly and bring it to boil. Simmer the mixture and stir in between. Simmer the mixture on low heat to get required texture.

White Pizza Sauce Recipe from Scratch

Ingredients

* Paprika – 1/8 teaspoon
* Pepper – 1/8 teaspoon
* Onion powder – 1/8 teaspoon
* Milk – 2 cups
* Salt – 3/4 teaspoon
* Margarine or butter – 1 tablespoon
* Flour – 1/3 cup

Procedure

Take a small saucepan and combine salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder and flour in it. Mix the ingredients properly and then slowly add milk in the mixture to avoid any formation of lump. Keep the saucepan over the heat and boil the mixture. Keep stirring the mixture while it boils to avoid lumps. Once the mixture attains a thick texture, add margarine to it. Stir the mixture until the margarine melts. Your white pizza sauce is ready.

Oregano Pizza Sauce from Scratch

Ingredients

* Tomato paste – 1 can (6 ounces)
* Tomato sauce – 1 can (8 ounces)
* Garlic clove (minced) – 1
* Dried basil – 1 teaspoon
* Dried oregano – 1 teaspoon
* Salt – 1/2 teaspoon
* Black pepper – 1/4 teaspoon
* Sugar – 1/2 teaspoon
* Bay leaf – 1 small
* Fennel seed – 1 teaspoon
* Parmesan cheese (grated) – 2 tablespoons
* Olive oil – 2 tablespoons
* Butter – 1 tablespoon
* Onion (chopped) – 1/2 cup
* Celery (chopped) – 1/4 cup

Procedure

To prepare this easy pizza sauce recipe from scratch, first take a large skillet and melt olive oil and butter, together in it. Then, add celery, minced garlic and chopped onion and saute the mixture. Once the mixture becomes soft and transparent add tomato sauce and tomato paste in it and stir the mixture until it turns smooth. Later, put in all the remaining ingredients and simmer the mixture. Simmer the mixture for about 30-60 minutes depending on texture you want. In the end remove the bay leaf and pour the sauce on your pizza base.

Read more on:

* Gourmet Pizza Recipes
* Quick and Easy Pizza Dough Recipes

So, you can see that preparing pizza sauce recipe from scratch is quite easy. What are you waiting for? Try these recipes and enjoy your homemade pizza with your homemade pizza sauce.

Homemade Pizza Recipes
Pizza is a delicious meal, but does it get the credit it deserves? When you ask most people how they feel about Pizza, they will probably say they like it, but add something like, “It’s good to order on a Saturday night when you’re too lazy to cook”. But does pizza have to be a lazy meal? Is pizza the sort of meal you can make at home, and really impress your friends and family with? Well I think it is. For me pizza is a meal I can really experiment with, that I can use to create scrumptious meals. But when I cook a pizza it’s not just a case of throwing a bit of cheese on a basic crust. I go all out to create masterpieces. In this article I am going to cover some tips to help you become a master pizza chef, and hopefully inspire you to try creating your own homemade pizza.

What do you need?

You can make do with just the ingredients but there are a few things that will make life easier. Firstly, a pizza stone is a nice addition, and you can purchase these from most home and cooking stores pretty cheaply. They help give your pizza a nice crisp base, and ensure you don’t burn your pizza as easily but distributing heat more evenly. If you don’t have or want a pizza stone, you could use a basic pizza tray. A rolling pin also comes in handy for rolling out your dough, but if you don’t have one of these a wine bottle will do nicely. A bread maker helps simplify the process also, and helps you produce perfect dough every time, and easily.

Ingredients

Like any form of cooking you will get back out what you put in, so if you are going to do this properly, ensure you get the best and freshest ingredients. Vegetables need to be fresh and crisp, and try to stay away from using any foods that have been frozen. As far as inventive flavors go, I am a fan of getting adventures here. Banana and curry makes a tasty pizza. If you enjoy a food, chances are you can make a nice pizza recipe for it.

Tips for the base

Getting the base right is where most first timers get it wrong. It is actually very hard to get the base right when you don’t know your oven, so a good first time tip is to cook the pizza base for a while without topping on it. This will ensure that the base crispens up a bit, so the end product won’t be doughy. After you have heated it for a while, add your sauce and toppings, and cook it until it’s ready.

Sauces

Making homemade sauce might be taking it a bit far for a first timer. However, you can buy pretty good pizza pastes to use with your pizza from most super markets. However, don’t feel limited to just using pastes or sauces designed for pizza, experiment with any of the standard super market sauces. Cranberry goes well with chicken, and makes a very nice pizza.

Cooking tips

Make sure you pre-heat your oven. It much easier to get a more consistent final product if heat is evenly distributed through your oven. If you are using a pizza stone this will also help ensure you have a well cooked pizza with a nice crunchy base.

Hope you enjoyed reading my tips. If I have wet your appetite and you want to try some of my recipes, check out my site where you will find a tasty pizza recipe or two.