National Pizza Day is February 9th, so how are you going to celebrate America’s Rock Star of foods? February is the month of love and what a perfect month for pizza lovers to venerate this iconic food group. Pizza a food group? Many will and perhaps can win this debate. Make National Pizza Day fun and insist it become your new tradition.
The possibilities are endless, and here you’ll find unique ideas that will make your National Pizza Day the best yet. Maybe it will be your first National Pizza Day. How excited you must be! Have fun on February 9th and forget about the calories!
National Pizza Day will be celebrated on Friday, February 9, 2024.
If you love National Pizza Day, don’t worry, you’ll have more time to celebrate later. National Pizza Month is celebrated annually every October — 31 full days of pizza love.
Pizza’s Precious Past
Pizza’s origins have a long history dating back to the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans. It could be said that the first pizza was simple flat bread topped with ordinary ingredients like cheese, garlic, onions and anchovies. Mama Mia, it sounds like something you could find today at a bistro in So Cal’s most chic neighborhoods.
There’s something to be said for the adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Initially, the flat bread with toppings idea came from the working class of Campania, Italy. Locals were looking for a cheap and easy meal. Let’s not forget about Naples, where many insist is the birthplace for the “real pizza”. It’s where pizza received royal recognition from Queen Margherita of Savoy. Bored with French cuisine, The Queen of Italy, Margherita, fell in love with Pizzeria Brandi, established in 1760. In her honor, this infamous mozzarella, tomato, and basil specialty is today’s iconic Margherita Pizza.
Pizza finally reached the United States around the 1900’s, where adverse economic conditions in Italy had forced millions of southern Italians to the US seeking the American Dream. At this point, pizza was very much an ethnic food for “poor” immigrants after WWII. Returning GIs stationed in Italy, brought home the appetite for this inexpensive, peasant food made “casalinga” or homestyle by southern Italian immigrant women in their kitchens. The rest is Pizza history!
Celebrating National Pizza Day
On your mark, get set, and order that yummy, cheesy pizza. The only thing more thrilling than opening a beautifully wrapped gift is opening a hot, large pizza box with heaven inside. We’ve put together a list of fun and easy ways to celebrate National Pizza Day. Make February 9th your new favorite holiday!
- Have a Pizza Party! Make it a pizza potluck party! Each family member or guest can bring their favorite toppings and you can provide ready-made pizza dough. You can make it a best tasting or a most creative contest.
- Set the menu for pizza all day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. We guarantee zero “no shows “at the table on this day! It’s easy, there’s nothing wrong with visiting your market’s freezer section and loading up on your favorite frozen pizzas.
- Hang out with Pizza Lovers! Meet up with your band of pizza pirates at a favorite pizza joint and level National Pizza Day up by wearing those tacky pizza costumes or matching t-shirts.
- Try unique toppings. Nothing is ever taboo on a pizza, right? Right.
- Donate some pizza pies to your local boys and girls club or your favorite volunteer group.
- Take Pizza to work and share the love. Maybe get your co-workers to pitch in and have the entire office experiment and try different pizza styles. Will it be deep dish or stuffed crust?
- Watch pizza movies! Mystic Pizza anyone?
- Visit a pizza museum! There’s actually several! This tour is guaranteed to keep the kiddos entertained, especially if the day ends with a personal pizza.
- Celebrate by taking your family, friends, or a date to dine out on National Pizza Day. Visit a new Pizzeria and order a pizza you have never tried before.
- Register for a pizza-making class. Book a traditional class or join a virtual class with pizza lovers around the nation.
- Purchase a home pizza oven. Hello Darling, you’re new and shiny, and will be placed next to the Keurig.
- Spark it up with your social media. Show your spirit for National Pizza Day and post a funny pizza meme or comical pizza gif. Share cool pizza images! You’ll get the most likes you have ever had thanks to pizza.
- Send pizza to a loved one. The only thing better than opening a hot pizza box is? We’re still deliberating on that!
Cool Pizza Facts
- A person who makes pizza is also referred to as a “pizzaiolo”.
- 350 slices of pizza are sold in the U.S. every second, and the average American eats 46 slices of pizza a year.
- Connecticut is home to the #1 pizza in the nation, it’s a pizza mecca, with six other pizzerias ranked in the top 50 of the top 101 best pizzas in America. Who knew!
- New York City has over 10% of the total Pizzerias in the U.S.
- Pizza is America’s second most loved food after Hamburgers, but barely!
- Pizza Hut ranks No.1 in popularity followed by Papa John’s and Domino’s.
- Pepperoni is the #1 pizza ordered in the US.
- Salty fish is the most unpopular pizza topping.
- The most expensive pizza is sold in Italy for $12,000! The Louies XIII, sold in Salerno, Italy. This Pizza is filled with three types of caviar, Norwegian lobster, and 7 types of cheeses.
- You can find “deep-fried” pizza in Scotland. Instead of baking the pizza, chefs just deep fry the whole pizza.
Retailers Celebrating National Pizza Day
Make it an unforgettable National Pizza Day and binge on just a slice from various pizza places around town! Rank the slices or create a scavenger hunt to level up your perfect National Pizza Day. You can bet there will be super deals so sign up at your favorite spot before February 9th to receive promotions and exclusive offers. Here are some of the nation’s local pizza places that have been known to offer deals on National Pizza Day:
- Chuck E. Cheese
- Buca di Beppo
- Domino’s
- Little Cesar’s
- Pizza Hut
- Papa John’s
- Red Baron
- California Pizza Kitchen
February 9th commemorates everything to do with pizza. Wear pizza earrings or a vintage pizza T-shirt. Pizza is the first choice for pop icon characters like Homer Simpson, Garfield, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Many cartoon characters were inspired by this ever-loving food; Pizza Steve, Samurai Pizza Cats, and The Pizza Family from the cartoon Steven Universe.
Pizza and toppings have evolved for certain. There was a time that pineapple on pizza was considered weird. Fruit on pizza is now common and crust varieties never get boring. You can even eat keto-friendly pizza made with cauliflower crust or almond flower instead of the carb filled pizza dough.
The origins of National Pizza Day are a bit fuzzy, and it seems that National Pizza Day started around the year 2000. It’s a genius marketing gimmick that leaves a fabulous taste in every American’s mouth. While celebrating National Pizza Day, remember to spread the good word; Cold pizza is delicious and nutritious.
Try this Easy Blue Cheese Balsamic Pizza
See our Big List of National Food Holidays!
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