Global Pizza

So you thought the hamburger was the world's most popular fast food? After all, McDonald's Golden Arches span the globe. But no, there is another truly universal fast food, the ultimate fast food. It's easy to make, easy to serve, much more varied than the hamburger, can be eaten with the hands, and it's delivered to your front door or served in fancy restaurants. It's been one of America's favourite foods for over 50 years. It is, of course, the pizza.

A brief history of pizza

It's kind of silly to talk about the moment when pizza was 'invented'. It gradually evolved over the years, but one thing's for certain ─ it's been around for a very long time. The idea of using pieces of flat, round bread as plates came from the Greeks. They called them 'plakuntos' and ate them with various simple toppings such as oil, garlic, onions, and herbs. The Romans enjoyed eating something similar and called it 'picea'. By about 1000 A.D. in the city of Naples, 'picea' had become 'pizza' and people were experimenting with more toppings: cheese, ham, anchovies, and finally the tomato, brought to Italy from Mexico and Peru in the sixteenth century. Naples became the pizza capital of the world. In 1889, King Umberto I and Queen Margherita heard about pizza and asked to try it. They invited pizza maker, Raffaele Esposito, to make it for them. He decided to make the pizza like the Italian flag, so he used red tomatoes, white mozzarella cheese, and green basil leaves. The Queen loved it and the new pizza was named 'Pizza Margherita' in her honour.

Pizza migrated to America with the Italians at the end of the nineteenth century. The first pizzeria in the United States was opened in 1905 at 53½ Spring Street, New York City, by Gennaro Lombardi. But the popularity of pizza really exploded when American soldiers returned from Italy after World War II and raved about 'that great Italian dish'. Americans are now the greatest producers and consumers of pizza in the world.

Pizza Trivia

1. Americans eat 350 slices of pizza per second.
2. There are 61,269 pizzerias in the United States.
3. Pizza is a $30 billion per year industry.
4. October is national pizza month in the United States.
5. The world's first pizzeria, the Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba, which opened in Naples in 1830, is still there.
6. Pizza Hut has over 12,000 restaurants and takeaway outlets in over 90 countries.
7. In America, pepperoni is the favourite topping. Anchovies is the least favourite.
8. In Japan, eel and squid are favourites. In Russia it's red herring, salmon, and onions.
9. In Brazil, they like green peas on their pizza. In Australia the favourites are shrimp and pineapple.
10. The French love bacon and crème fraîche on theirs. The English love tuna and sweetcorn.

Level: Intermediate

Book: New Headway (the NEW edition)

Year: 2003
Author: Connie Odone

American Diners

Diners are traditional fast food restaurants in the USA and cultural icons. Some are more than 100 years old!

In the 1950s, diners became famous around the world in American films and TV shows. Many diners continue to have retro 1950s designs, with bright colours and neon lights.

Diners serve simple, cheap food, like hamburgers and sandwiches. Americans go to diners not only to eat, but also to relax and meet friends.

• American singer Suzanne Vega wrote 'Tom's Diner' in a New York diner in 1984.
• It was the world's first MP3 song.

Level: Beginner

Book: Switch 1

Year: 2010

Take it away!

When people don't want to cook a meal, they often order takeaway food. There are lots of options, like hamburgers, pizza or Chinese food. In the UK, Indian curry is very popular. But the most traditional British takeaway meal is fried fish and potatoes, the famous 'fish and chips'.

There are about 11,000 fish and chip shops, or 'chippies', in the UK. The shops serve about 250 million portions of fish and chips every year. And to make those meals they use 60,000 tonnes of fish and 500,000 tonnes of potatoes. Many fish and chip shops serve other types of fast food too, like chicken, sausages or hot dogs. There's something for everyone!

Traditionally, British people put salt and vinegar on their chips. But these days, some people prefer other toppings, like ketchup, mayonnaise or curry sauce. Lots of people also eat fish and chips with soft peas, called 'mushy peas'.

Fast food is often fatty food. How much fat is there in these takeaway meals?

• A serving of fish and chips: 20.6 grams
• Two slices of pizza: 23 grams
• A cheeseburger and chips: 40 grams
• A doner kebab: 42.4 grams

Level: Beginner

Book: Switch 1

Year: 2010