Americans Love Pizza
Shortly after World War II, Italian food became the most popular ethnic food in the United States. There are thousands of restaurants and many Italian dishes can be prepared at home. Supermarkets are also stocked with frozen pizzas and lasagnas for easy home cooking.
In recent years Italian food has been eclipsed by Mexican food which in many cases is simply and inexpensive to prepare but can be high in calories, saturated fat and sodium. What Americans consider to be authentic Mexican food (tacos, enchiladas and burros) is actually Americanized versions of Sonora Mexico cuisine known as tacos (snacks, appetizers).
The same is true for Italian foods produced and sold in the United States. It is more Italian-American than true Italian. Not because Americans wouldn’t eat authentic Italian food, be for the simple reason many authentic ingredients (fresh mozzarella, rapine, etc.) were not available in the United States for decades.
Pizza is one of the most popular Italian foods sold in the United States even though most pizzas don’t even come close to authentic Italian pizza. Americans buy 3 billion pizzas annually. That’s about 6 pies for every man, women and child and the figure doesn’t include homemade pizzas.
I eat pizza in moderation and usually make my own which has less sodium than pizzeria pizzas. Pizza can be part of a healthy meal. But the way it is sold and eaten in the United States makes it a target for the bad food hit list. Too many prepared and restaurant pizzas can provide a days worth of calories, saturated fat and sodium. Add chicken wings and beer and you have 2 or more days worth of calories, saturated fat and sodium.
If you love pizza, try making your own using the basic bread dough recipe.