Rudinos Pizza Fun Facts

Fun Facts About Rudinos Pizza

Did you know that the average American eats about 23 pounds of pizza per year, that the accompanying choice beverage is a cold beer, and that most assume we have Italy to thank for the creation of pizza?

While you may not find the first two facts surprising, you may be interested in knowing that this American staple food, only second to a hamburger, can be traced all the way back to the Greeks as they invented the foundational concept of baking large, round flatbreads and topping them with spices, oils, Dates, and herbs. The Greeks had the bread part down to a fine art, but the finishing touches and toppings continued to evolve across continents.

The Italians (specifically street vendors) during the 18^th century picked up where the Greeks left off by selling these flatbreads (without any toppings), which they officially named “Pizzas,”  to the poor as pizza was relatively cheap to make and was filling.

Rudinos Sports Bars Pizza

But the story doesn’t end here…keep reading to see how pizza literally became a meal fit for a Queen…  around 1889, Queen Margherita and her husband were taking a tour of her kingdom, and she noticed that peasants were eating this large flatbread and was intrigued.  The Queen ordered a guard to bring her some, and she loved it so much that she made this a tradition every time she was out amongst her people. Royalty looked down on the fact that she was eating a “peasant’s food,” but she didn’t let this stop her from enhancing this beloved flatbread. She ordered Chef Rafaelle Esposito to make pizza for her in her palace, and he honored the beloved queen with a Pizza topped with tomatoes, Mozarella Cheese, and fresh Basil (resembling the Italian flag: Red, white, and green). This became her favorite pizza, which made her even more well-regarded in her kingdom and was only the beginning of the Pizza Margherita tradition, which is one of the best-kept secrets that makes our award-winning pizza even better.

The concept of pizza in America didn’t really catch on until after World War II when American soldiers who were stationed in Italy grew accustomed to it and sought out Italian pizzerias when they returned to the United States. And yet another rendition of the pizza was invented with the introduction of the square “Sicilian Pizza,” which is so popular and considered an American invention.

As you can see, not any single country or individual can claim 100% recognition for the creation of pizza. It’s a collaborative affair. And the enhancements, modifications, and spinoffs keep on going. Whether you prefer your pizza with a little bit of oil and no sauce, or with tomato sauce like Queen Margherita, or Sicilian-style pizza, or anything in between, we encourage you to carry on the tradition of entrepreneurship and innovation at your local and family-owned Rudino’s Sports Bar and indulge in one of our specialty pizzas – or create your own – and take advantage of our daily drink specials and live music events!

This entry was posted on Monday, April 1st, 2013 at 1:53 pm and is filed under Rudinos Sports Bar Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.