Food Holidays: November 11th, 2021

Good morning, welcome to our series sharing Food Holidays: November 11th, 2021. Did you know its National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day which is fine with me. Although I will pass on the Pizza even though it doesn’t have Anchovies because I don’t care for Peppers or Mushrooms. How about you?

National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day

1. prepare Pizzas on your own or have a Pizza-making competition for family and friends to share there recipes. Turn a blind eye to the one who might add Anchovies. Create public awareness by sharing photos of your creations on Social Media.
2. Make your Pizzas and share them with a School or Senior Citizen Center. You could ask friends and family make this Holiday for people who would not normally get the chance to eat Pizza.
3. Clay Pizza Ovens are all the rage in the natural building fraternity. Impress those around you and design and make your own Clay Pizza Oven. That way, you have a talking point, and learn a new skill.

Facts about anchovies:

1. Did you know Anchovies are preyed upon by almost every predatory Fish in their environments?

2. Anchovies have teeth, described as “small and sharp,” in both there upper and lower jaws. Anchovies diet consists of Plankton and small fry of other Fish.

3. 94 percent of Americans eat Pizza regularly.

4. Saturday night is the most popular night to eat Pizza out of the entire week.

5. In Latin languages, including Italian, the equivalent word for “Anchovy” is used to describe a particularly thin person who is all skin and bones. Did you know that? Because I didn’t.

National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day falls on November 12 and is also known as National Pizza With Everything (Except Anchovies) Day. Pizza is the most eaten — and best liked — food item in the U.S. Each American eats about 46 pizza slices a year. Anchovy is a small fish that usually comes in a can. Pizza fans feel it does not go well with a classic, deliciously topped pizza, since its flavor tends to overpower the more delicate nuances of the ingredients used as toppings. Bring out the chef in you and top your personal pizza with your favorites, minus the anchovy, of course.

HISTORY OF NATIONAL PIZZA WITH THE WORKS EXCEPT ANCHOVIES DAY

There is no factual origin of this cod-less Pizza day and people continue to wonder about its origin, but this does not mean this Holiday cannot still be celebrated. In fact, if we go into the details of Pizza making its way to America, we can find that the first restaurant Pizza was made in New York City’s Little Italy in 1905.

But where does the idea of putting Fish ie Anchovies on the pizza come from? If we go back in time and see what the Ancient Romans did, we would see that they used to put Fermented Fish on their Flat Breads. The Greeks had a Pie which they called a “Pita”, which could have led to the word entering the Roman vocabulary. The recipe stayed around the early days of Pizza, and Mozzarella was used as the Cheese of choice. Pizza became more popular, and people added their own preferences, different ingredients were experimented with. Which is where Anchovies crept in as a topping.

Pizza has been described as the favorite meal of Americans, especially since World War II. Since then, there have been different recipes and varieties of pizza, with a wide array of toppings. There always has been a group of people who have ridiculed the beloved pizza with anchovies as topping choice – so much so that only 3 in every 1,000 people would admit to selecting anchovy as a topping of choice. So this day celebrates the mainstream taste regarding pizza.

5 FACTS ABOUT PIZZA and ANCHOVIES

1. In the times of ancient Greeks and Egyptians, Pizza was Flatbread seasoned with Cheese, Oil, and Herbs.
2. There are over a million people working in the Pizza industry in the U.S. Generating $37 billion every year.
3. Did you know Pizza was delivered in Space in 2001? When a six-inch Pizza was delivered to the International Space Station. Yuri Usachov was the recipient.
4. 0.003% of Americans select Anchovies as a topping on a Pizza.
5. Anchovies shine in the water because of their silvery scales and are easier to catch at night.

WHY WOULD WE CELEBRATE NATIONAL PIZZA WITH THE WORKS EXCEPT ANCHOVIES DAY?

1. Pizza is definitely America’s favorite meal. Roughly 100 acres of Pizza a day or about 350 slices per second, of Pizza are consumed. So even a funny day that makes fun of a topping, in this case Anchovies, is part of what we celebrate daily.
2. This Holiday is about concentrating on the ‘works’ which point towards appreciating the toppings on the Pizza. Instead of an average Pizza, this Holiday celebrates the effort of selecting mouth-watering toppings and savoring them.
3. There are few true blue Anchovy lovers so it may be a good idea to get them to celebrate this Holiday with you. Then do a turn-around and let them make you a Pizza with their favorite topping on the Pizza. Make sure you give there Pizza a chance. You may love this Pizza.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates