Pizza - a World Famouse Food For Soul and Pleasure
Do you know a meal that people sometimes every week and eaten as breakfast, lunch, or dinner? If you guessed pizza, then you are correct!!! Pizza is one of the most addictive foods and has always been my favorite food to eat. Although I have a love for home-cooked meals, I would have to say that pizza is my “soul” food of all time. It is fully customizable with a variety of toppings from pepperoni, pineapples spinach, or almost anything you can think of and it nearly tastes the same when heated up as leftovers. I enjoy eating pizza mainly because of the memories it brings, the interesting history behind it, and how healthy it can be.
Looking back over my life, I have always had a love for food especially home-cooked meals. I grew up with my family cooking a variety of food from fried plantains to chitterlings and other dishes such as pasta. The largest influence of causing me to love pizza was the restaurant, Cici’s Pizza, which is still around today in certain parts of the state. I loved Cici’s Pizza as a kid because it had my favorite two things together – pizza and an arcade. I still remember the cramped arcade, constantly begging my parents for more money, and having to eat before playing any games. As a family, we had countless birthday parties there making it a memorable place for me. I loved everything there was about the place including the variety of pizza, the savory breadsticks, and the eager rush to play in the arcade.
Furthermore, pizza is a staple food sold everywhere in many restaurants and fast-food places, but how did it exactly come about? Pizza dates to ancient times where many of the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians ate flatbreads baked in handmade ovens with special spices and oils. Naples located in Italy claims the invention of the modern-day version of pizza because of Raffaele Esposito, a restaurant owner that receives credit for creating pizza even when it was made hundreds of years before. Although pizza tastes amazing, many citizens in lower classes ate pizza because it was inexpensive, did not take long to make or eat.
In addition, since Raffaele Esposito had his own restaurant selling pizza and other street foods, he met the needs of the working-class people around him, but people in higher classes called their eating habits “disgusting”. Despite this accusation, there is a legend that in 1889, Esposito made pizza for the King and Queen of Italy and it gained more attention because it was known as “peasant food”. The Queen enjoyed the flatbread with basil, mozzarella, and tomatoes which represented the national flag of Italy. As Italian immigrants began to leave Italy, the idea of pizza had spread all over the world and adapted to other cultures. In the early 1900s, the first pizza shop opened in New York and it became so popular that more pizzerias started opening
Finally, pizza is an adaptable option when it comes to being healthy. While pizza can be very healthy, it can also be very unhealthy. According to Healthline, freshly made pizzas usually have better ingredients versus those that are sold in stores. Also, if not using proper portion control and having extra toppings can make pizza very unhealthy too. Healthline also states that various pizzas contain fats, preservatives, colorings, and sometimes processed ingredients which is why it is better to choose freshly made pizza. When choosing pizza, it is important to pick a healthier option of pizza and remember to use more vegetables, get smaller slices, or ask if healthier alternatives are available.
All in all, pizza is one of the world’s most addictive foods for plasure and for soul and people enjoy it for various reasons. I mainly enjoy it because of all the great memories it brings, its interesting history, and how healthy it can be when made correctly. Pizza is so popular that billions are sold annually here in the United States and as it constantly changes it only gets better every year! As someone once said, “You can't buy happiness. But you can buy pizza, and that's kind of the same thing”.
