People all over the world relish a mouthwatering pizza. Young and old are captivated by the sheer variety of flavors. Originating from the Italian word “pizza,” which refers to a range of dough based dishes, the roots of pizza lie many centuries ago, as far back as the 3rd century BCE, when Persian soldiers and Greeks ate garnished flat bread. Legends record that in the reign of Darius the Great of Persia, 6th century BCE, soldiers on long marches baked bread on the flat surface of their shields and ate it with dates and cheese.

Traditionally, pizza is oven-baked bread smothered with tomato sauce and toppings like vegetables and meat, as well as herbs like basil, garlic, chili flakes, and oregano. As it gained popularity, many variations emerged, like Hawaiian pizza, White pizza, New York pizza, and Italian pizza, among a thousand others. pizza changed its ‘avatar’ with each region and country; for example, in India people eat pizzas topped with spicy Indian curries as well as cottage cheese; in Japan pizza is topped with corn, diced potatoes, scrambled eggs, and sea food; while in Australia popular toppings include ham, bacon, cheese, and eggs. Thus, pizzas are made to satisfy the needs of different and discerning palates.

When considering weight management, pizza is one food that can quickly add inches to the waist line. A 12-inch Cheese pizza contains at least 875 calories, while a supreme 10 inch version has a caloric value of 1,280. So, if you are concerned about your health you must keep a vigilant eye on the calorie meter. Eat a pizza but try and share it with friends, choose low-fat cheese, and load a pizza with plenty of vegetables and lean meat instead of red meat and stringy cheese.

Nutritionally, a six-inch pizza would contain 30 gm of fat, 25 gm of protein, 170 gm of carbohydrates, 1,400 mg of sodium, and vitamins A and C, and calcium and iron.

Pizza is not just food for the soul; it is big business and profits. Running a pizza outlet means being in a world of tough competition, innovations and marketing strategies, giving customers good value for their money, and wooing customers as well as retaining them. The American pizza industry celebrated its centenary in 2005, a hundred years after Gennaro Lombardi opened America’s first licensed pizzeria in New York City in 1905.