Welcome to our series featuring Unique Holidays: October 2022: National Pizza Month. I don’t know about you but I bet October is Charlie’s favorite month of the year as we celebrate National Pizza Month. Did you know Charlie eats Pizza at least 2 times a week if not more. How about you are you a Pizza lover who can’t go a week without a slice or two?
National Pizza Month
Pizza is a wonderful thing, and there’s really no such thing as bad Pizza. Even the worst Pizza is still pretty good. Pizza has been around for an incredibly long time, the word Pizza going back as far as 997 AD in Southern Italy.
National Pizza Month gives lovers of Pizza an entire month to celebrate amazing food, and more than ample time to enjoy Pizza in all its variations. Small, large, circle, square, and so much more!
Let’s learn about National Pizza Month:
History of National Pizza Month
The History of National Pizza Month is of course, at least in part, attributed to the history of this delicious dish itself: Pizza. As mentioned above, the term Pizza goes back more than one thousand years to when the idea of a Flatbread was created. Pizza was likely derived from a version of what we now know as Focaccia Bread, a roman Flatbread commonly served with toppings.
From that time moving forward, there have been developments that slowly led to the wonderful comfort food that the world knows and loves as Pizza.
Now, this doesn’t mean that it was a straight line, mind you, not at all. Some say that Roman Soldiers created the first Pizza when they added Cheese and Olive Oil to Matzah Bread. But one thing is known for certain, Pizza as we know it today came into being as a result of the discovery of the Tomato in the Americas, and its return to Europe in the 16th Century.
So where did Pizza begin? Pizza as a Flatbread with a Tomato Sauce started in Naples and quickly became popular. Until the 1830’s Pizza was almost exclusively sold from open-air stands and out of Pizza bakeries, a tradition that is largely followed even today.
It morphed into something closer to what we know today as “Pizza” sometime around the 18th or 19th Centuries in Naples, Italy.
Although no one was happy with the devastating effects of World War II, one of the positives was that allied troops who had been stationed in Italy brought the idea of Pizza back to their home Countries.
One other fun piece of trivia is the source of the ‘Marinara’ Sauce is the traditional Tomato Sauce. Have you ever wondered why the sauce is called Marinara? Because Marinara was created by “La Marinara” the mariner’s wife, to serve to her Seafaring husband upon return from fishing the Bay of Naples.
National Pizza Month was originally created as an American observance and was celebrated for the first time in October 1984. National Pizza Month was created by Gerry Durnell, publisher of Pizza Today, a magazine dedicated to this delicious Pie. For more than 30 years, this month has been a fitting tribute to Pizza.
How to Celebrate National Pizza Month
We have an entire month to celebrate everything about Pizza? Well, that might be enough time to get started on some of these ideas:
Eat Pizza, Of Course!
We encourage you to go out and eat all the Pizza you can get your hands on this month.
Order in, or visit a Pizza joint and order a pitcher of Beer or Soft Drinks, and enjoy eating homemade Pizza in front of a movie. National Pizza Month is meant to be enjoyed for thirty-one whole delicious days!
Make Pizza at Home
Whether making Dough from scratch or picking up a premade refrigerated Dough, making Pizza at home can be a fun activity for the whole family. Let every member of the family custom create their own personal Pizza then back them and host a taste test. Let everyone have a bit of each other’s Pizza. Then vote on whose was the best.
Try different Pizza toppings
If you’re wanting to truly honor Pizza, then it’s time to try new toppings on your Pizza and experience the full range of what Pizza can be!
- Chipotle Cajun Shrimp and Guacamole Pizza. The flavor of this Pizza goes far beyond. Cook Shrimp with Cajun and Creole Seasoning, spread Guacamole over Pizza Dough like a “Sauce”, add Shrimp and Cheese. Then bake.
- Thanksgiving Day Leftover Pizza. On Black Friday when everyone is sick of the leftovers from the previous day’s festivities, pile those bits and pieces of Ham and Turkey onto a prepared crust and pop it in the oven. Use Mashed Sweet Potatoes as the “sauce”. Then spread Turkey strips, Corn, Cranberry Sauce, Brussel Sprouts and shredded Cheese on top.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
