Who Actually Invented the Pizza?

Pizza is a baked pie of Italian origin consisting of a shallow bread-like crust covered with seasoned tomato sauce, cheese, and often other toppings such as sausage or olive. The word pizza is believed to be from an Old Italian word meaning “a point,” which in turn became the Italian word “pizzicare,” which means “to pinch” or “pluck.”

The pizza could have been invented by the Phoenicians, the Greeks, Romans, or anyone who learned the secret of mixing flour with water and heating it on a hot stone.

In one of its many forms, pizza has been a basic part of the Italian diet since the Stone Age. This earliest form of pizza was a crude bread that was baked beneath the stones of the fire. After cooking, it was seasoned with a variety of different toppings and used instead of plates and utensils to sop up broth or gravies. It is said that the idea of using bread as a plate came from the Greeks who ate flat round bread (plankuntos) baked with an assortment of toppings. It was eaten by the working man and his family because it was a thrifty and convenient food.

Click here to read more and follow the development of pizza through time.

Many people look forward to this particular holiday simply because the majority, if not all, of their family members will be together for the first time this year.

It is a time of happiness and catching up on the lives of the others. This is a true Thanksgiving tradition that never goes out of style.

The Thanksgiving holiday means different things to people who celebrate it. As it usually provides a four day weekend, for a lot of people it is a holiday that is highly anticipated as a small vacation from work or school. This has thrilled children for years to know that they not only get a huge meal with all the family members but they also get four days of cartoons, sleeping late, and playing. So it is easy to see why the children enjoy this special holiday.

For many older people, this is a holiday of simply being grateful and giving thanks for what they have received during the year. This is the true meaning of Thanksgiving especially when the current year has been so much better than ones past. When everyone is gathered around the table for the holiday meal, they may each be asked to share what they are most thankful for that year. This is actually a tradition in many families that is repeated each year.

This site is dedicated to bringing you ideas old and new to make this thanksgiving the best one ever. From food to games, cooking tips to holiday activities, and sports to gifts, Thanksgiving 2010 aims to make this year special.

The Health Benefits of Pizza

In the past it was commonly believed that pizza was not really a healthy food. Part of the reason for this is that it was put in the same group as other fast foods, such as hamburgers and fries. This is a major misconception, as pizza can actually be a highly nutritional meal.

One of the main ingredients of pizza is the tomato, which contains lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. Lycopene is known to help fight many different types of cancer. Studies have shown that people who eat pizza at least once a week were much less likely to develop colon and mouth cancer as well as stomach and lung cancer. It is known to be especially helpful in fighting prostate cancer. Studies have shown that eating pizza can lower your chance of developing esophageal cancer by nearly 59%.

It is the tomato that is the main cancer-fighting ingredient of pizza. Incredibly, studies have also shown that processed tomatoes such as those found in pizza or spaghetti sauce are actually higher in lycopene than fresh tomatoes. The reason for this is that during the process of cooking and processing the tomatoes, the water content evaporates leaving a higher concentration of the antioxidant.

Tomato sauce is extremely healthy, and for this reason so is pizza, but there are additional pizza toppings that can also enhance your health. Onions are rich in chromium, vitamin C, and fiber. They help to lower your blood sugar, cholesterol as well as blood pressure. Black olives are another great addition to pizza. Olives contain ingredients that help ward off heart disease and lower your cholesterol. The red pepper is a great pizza topping. They are sweet and tasty as well as full of Vitamin C, A, and B6.

Another health benefit of pizza is the dough. In actuality, pizza dough is another ingredient of pizza that is high in antioxidants, and through certain baking techniques the antioxidants in the dough can actually be increased.

Adding even more health benefits to pizza is simple. A vegetable pizza with just a little cheese is a very healthy food. You get the great taste and health benefits of pizza without all the extra fat and cholesterol normally associated with meats and cheese. If you are a meat fanatic and just can’t handle your pizza without meat, you can always add some grilled chicken to your vegetable pizza. Chicken offers many health benefits that other meats don’t, and it tastes great.

With the many health benefits of pizza, it can no longer be viewed in the same light as other fast foods.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jessica_Ackerman

Please help Johnny’s raise money for ALS!

Our dear friend and franchisee owner Scott Cole was diagnosed with ALS this past December. Scott has been part of the Johnny’s Pizza family for 10+ years. Scott and his partner own the Acworth, Dallas Hwy and Kennesaw/Barrett Pkwy Johnny’s Pizza in Georgia. We want to show our support for him as a company. We are walking to raise money for global research, assist people with ALS, fund multidisciplinary certified clinical care centers, and foster government partnerships. Please help support team “Stroll for Cole” in the “Walk to Defeat ALS” on November 6, 2010. The walk will be held at Centennial Olympic Park downtown Atlanta.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive, fatal, neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. As nerve cells are destroyed, the brain’s ability to initiate and control voluntary muscle movement is lost.

Early symptoms of ALS include muscle weakness, impaired speech, and difficulty swallowing or breathing. In the later stages of the disease, an ALS patient may become paralyzed and lose the ability to walk, speak, swallow and eventually breathe. However, the mental capacity of the majority of those with ALS remains unaffected.

Life expectancy is typically 2-5 years from the time of diagnosis. No one knows what causes ALS, and there is no cure.

Please help support ALS, Scott Cole, his family and all those who are battling ALS. For more info visit the ALS Association of Georgia.