Pizza Pie Day

Pizza Pie Day takes place on February 9. It is one of the numerous, delicious food holidays in the U.S. Obviously, Pizza Pie Day is a day for celebrating pizza, one of the most popular foods Americans enjoy. Did you know that 36% of Americans eat pizza as a breakfast meal? Historians claim that pizza-like dishes have been a common staple in the ancient Middle East, but it was Italians who perfected and popularized the recipe. As World War II troops grew fond of pizzas while they served in Italy, pizzerias also sprung up in the U.S. to meet the returning soldiers’ demands for pizzas.

Baker Raffaele Esposito of Naples is mainly credited for the recipe and renown of modern pizza. In 1889, Esposito’s restaurant Pizzeria di Pietro baked a special pie topped with tomato sauce, basil, and mozzarella to mark the royal visit of Italian King Umberto I and his wife. Before World War II, pizza was largely a local dish eaten and sold by Italian immigrants in the U.S. However, during the occupation of Italy by the Allied Forces, soldiers resorted to eating local Italian cuisine and eventually grew to love pizza so much that the local bakers were hardly able to keep up with the soldiers’ demand for the dish. The war veterans brought their love for the Italian delicacy idea back home and largely contributed to its popularity in America. In 1905, Lombardi’s — originally a grocery store in New York City owned by Gennaro Lombardi — became North America’s premier pizzeria. This subsequently led to the proliferation of pizza houses in New York City and all over the U.S. in later years.