Pizza has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 10th century Naples. The classic Italian dish is one of the most popular in the world and is consumed in nearly every country.
So I think we can all agree that being one of the world’s most loved comfort foods deserves celebration. Did you know World Pizza Day is celebrated annually on the 9th of February?!
As diverse as pizza is today, even plant-based pizzas are now more readily available with the rise of plant-based popularity. Plant-based pizzas are now easier to find, more affordable than before, and can often be healthier than their traditional meaty counterparts. Of course, easier access to high quality plant-based dairy and meat alternatives is making it easier for people to transition to a plant-based diet.
It’s especially great to see the veg and vegan options expanding not only at retailers but also restaurants around SA.
For instance, Ferdinando’s Pizza in Cape Town (ranked #31 on Big Seven Travel’s list of 50 Best Pizzas in the World) has over 20 different vegetarian and vegan options on its menu. This includes its much-loved Vegana pizza, made with a thick tomato base and topped with sesame seeds, peppers, baby marrow, cherry tomatoes, avocado, aubergine, and caramelised onion jam.
Massimo’s in Hout Bay also made the list at #45. Focusing on ultra-thin crust Roman-style pizzas with seasonal toppings, they offer at least ten vegetarian and vegan options.
And then of course, offering a surprisingly wide range of plant-based options is local fast food giant, Panarottis. It has a variety of plant-based swap-outs for pizzas and pastas, including vegan cheese, mince, steak, chicken, and mayonnaise. Panarottis was even placed third in ProVeg South Africa’s first Plant-Based Friendly Fast Food Franchise Ranking in 2022, after Kauai and Spur.
TOP TIP: Hosting a pizza night where you serve plant-based pizza is a quick and easy way to support and entertain friends and family who are plant-based, even if you aren’t.
Plant-based options can also broaden your culinary palate by exposing you to a new world of flavours, ingredients, and food combinations that you may not have tried before.
10 interesting pizza facts:
- The most expensive pizza in the world costs $12,000 and is made with gourmet ingredients such as pink Australian sea salt, lobster, caviar, and seven types of cheese. This luxury pizza is made by Italian chef Renato Viola and takes 72 hours to prepare.
- The word “pizza” was first recorded in a 10th-century Latin manuscript in Italy.
- Even though the USA consumes 350 slices of pizza every second, Norway are considered even greater pizza lovers, being the country with the highest per capita consumption of pizza!
- Pizza is the second most popular fast food in the USA, with hamburgers taking the top spot.
- The first pizzeria in the USA was actually a grocery store in New York City, called Lombardi’s, which started selling pizza in 1905.
- The Margherita pizza was supposedly created in honour of Queen Margherita of Italy in 1889; when she had a pizza with tomato sauce, green basil, and mozzarella cheese and loved it.
- The art of making pizza was included on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage in 2017, and Neapolitan pizza is considered a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed dish by the European Union.
- The Scots offer a twist on the traditional baked pizza, where the entire pizza is deep-fried.
- In 2013, a NASA-funded 3D printer was prototyped to create food for astronauts, with pizza included as a menu item.
- A pizzaiolo is the official name for someone who makes pizza.
Words by Peaches.
Information provided by ProVeg South Africa.
Image by Africa Studio.
