Piz
za Cold Knowledge: Things You Never Knew About the World's Favorite Food Pizza is one of the world's most beloved and iconic foods. It's been around for thousands of years, and has evolved in countless different ways, with endless toppings and styles. But despite its popularity and ubiquitous presence in our lives, there are many things about pizza that remain a mystery to most people. In this article, we'll explore some of the cold knowledge about pizza that you never knew, but will be glad to discover. Pizza Was Not Invented in Italy It's a widely-held belief that pizza was invented in Italy, but this is not entirely true. While the modern pizza we know and love today did indeed originate in Italy, the idea of cooking dough with toppings on it dates back thousands of years, and can be found in various cultures around the world. For example, in Ancient Greece, people ate a flatbread called plakuntos, which was topped with herbs, garlic, onions, and cheese. Pizza Used to Be Considered a Dish for the Poor Today, pizza is a global industry worth billions of dollars, and is enjoyed by people of all backgrounds and incomes. But it wasn't always this way. In fact, for most of its history, pizza was considered a dish for the poor, and was mainly consumed by peasants and lower-class workers. It wasn't until the late 19th and early 20th centuries that pizza started to gain popularity among the middle and upper classes in Italy, and later around the world. Some Pizza Toppings Are Very Unusual When most people think of pizza toppings, they think of things like pepperoni, mushrooms, and cheese. But there are some truly bizarre toppings out there that you probably never knew existed. For example, in Japan, you can get a pizza with mayonnaise, corn, and shrimp; in India, you might find a pizza topped with tandoori chicken and paneer cheese; and in Australia, there's a pizza with kangaroo meat on it. These toppings may seem strange, but they're all beloved by their respective cultures. The World's Largest Pizza Was a Mile Long Pizza can come in many shapes and sizes, but none have been as impressively massive as the world's largest pizza, which measured a whopping
1.3 miles (
2.1 kilometers) long. This feat was accomplished in 2012, in the city of Naples, Italy, where over 60 pizza chefs came together to create the giant pizza over the course of 11 hours. The pizza was topped with over 4,400 pounds (2,000 kilograms) of tomatoes, 3,500 pounds (1,600 kilograms) of cheese, and 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms) of flour. Pizza Can Be Used as a Political Tool Believe it or not, pizza has been used as a political tool in the past. Back in 2008, during the US presidential election, the campaign of John McCain released a video attacking Barack Obama for ordering a pizza with arugula on it, saying that it was evidence that he was out of touch with regular Americans. The video sparked a number of parodies and memes, and even inspired a pizza chain to create a pizza called the "Obama Pizza," which was topped with arugula, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta cheese. Conclusion Pizza is a food that has brought people together for thousands of years, and will continue to do so for many more to come. No matter where you go in the world, you're likely to find a version of pizza that's been adapted to suit local tastes and ingredients. And while there may be many things we still don't know about pizza, one thing is for sure: it's a food that will never go out of style, and will always be there to bring us comfort and joy.