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OCTOBER CELEBRATES PASTA & PIZZA
And Dean Martin mentions both in his famous song about love:
When the moon hits your eye like a big-a pizza
pie, that's amore.
When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine, that's amore.
Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling and you'll sing "Vita
bella,"
Hearts will play tippi-tippi-tay, tippi-tippi-tay, like a gay Tarantella.
Lucky fella
When the stars make you drool just-a like pasta fazool, that's amore.
When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet, you're in love.
When you walk in a dream but you know you're not dreamin', Signore,
'Scusami, but you see back in old Napoli, that's amore.
So,
do you think you know your pasta and pizza trivia? Here's a chance to prove
you're the big cheese, not a meatball;
that you belong in the upper crust of food historians, not a noodle-brain;
that you're the top tomato.
Good luck!
(To find the answers, hover
your mouse over the tomato after each question.
Answers also appear at the end of the quiz.)
Here's the dish on pasta
1. During Pre-Revolutionary America when the song "Yankee Doodle" first became popular, the word macaroni in the line that reads "stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni" didn't refer to the pasta. But why? In 18th century England, macaroni was a synonym for
A) good friends and family
B) perfection and excellence
C) happiness and loyalty
D) freedom and liberty
2. A fork is the only utensil that may be used to eat spaghetti while anyone is looking, according to
A) Ann Landers
B) the National Pasta Association
C) Miss Manners
D) the Italian Restaurant Association
3. In the 13th century, quality standards for pasta were established by
A) the Pope
B) the Italian government
C) restaurant owners in Rome
D) master cooks in Italy
4. The word "pasta" comes from the Italian for
A) noodles
B) bread
C) paste
D) flour
5. Tripolini or "little bows" were named
A) after the three little bows worn by the emperor’s daughter
B) to honor the Italian conquest of Tripoli in Libya
C) for the bow ties fashionable at the time
D) by American restaurateurs
6. Macaroni was introduced to the United States by
A) George Washington
B) Christopher Columbus
C) Antony Barillo
D) Thomas Jefferson
7. The first American pasta factory was opened in
A) Albany, New York
B) Brooklyn, New York
C) Chicago, Illinois
D) Detroit, Michigan
8. One study shows that kids eat ______ pounds of pasta each year, more than any other age group.
A) 62
B) 37
C) 118
D) 98
9. One billion pounds of pasta is about ______________ miles of 16-ounce packages of spaghetti stacked end-to-end.
A) 3,487
B) 72, 923
C) 212,595
D) 100,33
10. A noodle must contain 5.5% egg solids to be called a noodle, according to
A) federal law
B) the National Pasta Association
C) the American Dietetic Assocaition
D) pasta manufacturers world-wide
11. Pasta is a comfort food. In fact, eating it may have a calming effect. This is caused by:
A) Serotonin
B) Valine
C) Lysine
D) Tryptophan
12. Italians and Italian-Americans use various names for long-simmered tomato sauce. Which of these is not one of them?
A) Gravy
B) Sugo
C) Ragu
D) Marinara
13. Spaghetti and meatballs was invented in
A) Italy
B) America
C) China
D) Germany
Pizza Facts
14. What percentage of Americans eat at least one pizza per month?
A) 35
B) 52
C) 83
D) 93
15. Three of the top 10 weeks of pizza consumption occur in
A) September
B) January
C) December
D) July
16. Among the over-50 market, pizza is the second most popular takeout food, after ___________________.
A) chicken
B) Chinese food
C) fish & chips
D) beer & pretzels
17. The most popular pizza crust is
A) deep dish
B) thick crust
C) regular thin crust
D) extra thin crust
18. When did pizza first become popular in the United States?
A) Just after WWI
B) Just after Ben Franklin's trip to Europe.
C) Just after WWII
D) During the Great Depression
19. Pizza was originally...
A) a Chinese invention.
B) the food of peasants in Italy.
C) the food of Italian noblemen.
D) only made by monks.
20. How much pizza do Americans consume each day?
A) 2 football fields
B) 5,000 yards
C) 100 acres
D) 1,000,000 feet
21. Pizza was first introduced to America by...
A) the Italian Tourism Board.
B) an Italian grocer
C) the World's Fair
D) Little Casear
22. Pizzerias represent what percentage of all restaurants?
A) 17 %
B) 6%
C) 25%
D) 43%
23. How many Americans’ order pizza for a casual evening with friends?
A) 1 out of 4
B) 2 out of 3
C) 3 out of 5
D) 4 out of 7
Favorite U.S. Pizza Toppings (top)
24. America’s favorite pizza topping is
A) Sausage
B) Ham
C) Cheese
D) Pepperoni
25. Pizza makers have tried virtually every type of topping on pizza including:
A) peanut butter & jelly
B) bacon & eggs
C) mashed potatoes
D) all of the above
26. Mozzarella cheese represents _________ of total cheese output in the U.S.
A) 63%
B) 30%
C) 75%
D) 57%
27. While 62% of Americans prefer meat toppings on their pizzas, _________ prefer vegetarian toppings
A) 5%
B) 17%
C) 25%
D) 38%
Favorite World-Wide Pizza Toppings (top)
28. Pickled ginger, minced mutton and “paneer” (a form of cottage cheese, which looks quite like tofu) is a popular pizza topping in
A) Switzerland
B) Ireland
C) India
D) China
29. Squid and Mayo Jaga (mayonnaise, potato and bacon) are toppings popular in
A) Japan
B) Saudi Arabia
C) Denmark
D) Cuba
30. Green peas are a common pizza topping in
A) Costa Rica
B) Brazil
C) Australia
D) Pakistan
31. Where is pizza served covered with mockba, a combination of sardines, tuna, mackerel, salmon and onions?
A) Hawaii
B) Russia
C) Norway
D) Spain
32. What country boasts a popular combo with bacon, onion and fresh cream?
A) Scotland
B) Germany
C) France
D) Chile
33. What is a favorite pizza recipe in the Netherlands?
A) “Double Dutch”
B) “Tulips for Two”
C) “The Dike”
D) “Klom-pie”
Pizza Superlatives (top)
34. Where was the world’s first pizzeria?
A) Naples, Italy
B) Rome, Italy
C) Athens, Greece
D) Crete
35. Where was the first licensed pizzeria in the U.S.?
A) Boston
B) Chicago
C) Detroit
D) New York City
36. The largest pizza company in the world is ____________?
A) Little Caesar’s
B) Pizza Hut
C) Domino’s
D) Papa John’s
37. The world’s largest pizza had a diameter measuring
A) 85 feet
B) 50 feet
C) 140 feet
D) 25 feet
38. In 1994, a world record for the longest chain of pizza was attempted in Guatemala by
A) Little Caesar’s
B) Pizza Hut
C) Domino’s
D) Papa John’s
Here's the dish on pasta (top)
1. B) perfection and excellence - "Macaroni" became known as a fancy and overdressed ("dandy") style of Italian clothing widely imitated in England at the time. So by just sticking a feather in his cap and calling himself a "Macaroni", Yankee Doodle was proudly proclaiming himself to be a country bumpkin (an awkward and unsophisticated person), because that was how the English regarded most colonials at that time. The word macaroni thus came to mean "dandy", or "fop", or "dude" at the time.
2. C) Miss Manners – a.k.a. Judith Martin
3. A) the Pope
4. C) paste - meaning a combination of flour and water - including the many forms of spaghetti, macaroni, and egg noodles. The term pasta has always been used on Italian restaurant menus to encompass all the various pasta offerings.
5. B) B) to honor the Italian conquest of Tripoli in Libya – And speaking of pasta names, in Italian, fettuccine = ribbons; stele = stars; stelline = little stars; capelli d'angelo = angel's hair; anelli = rings; fusilli = springs; ruote = wheels; conchiglie = shells; cavatappi = corkscrews; penne = quills; orecchiette = ears; lumache = snails; farfalle = bowties . There are more than 600 pasta shapes produced worldwide.
6. D) Thomas Jefferson - It seems that he fell in love with a certain dish he sampled in Naples while serving as the U.S. Ambassador to France. In fact, he promptly ordered crates of macaroni, along with a pasta-making machine, sent back to the States. It was not until 1848 that pasta was first produced commercially in the U.S., and not until the late 19th century that it became popular.
7. B) Brooklyn – in 1848, by a Frenchman named Antoine Zerega. Mr. Zerega managed the entire operation with just one horse in his basement to power the machinery. To dry his spaghetti, he placed strands of the pasta on the roof to dry in the sunshine.
8. A) 62 - Seventeen percent eat spaghetti while 16 percent eat macaroni and cheese. The average American adult eats 20 pounds per year! On an average, consumers enjoy pasta for dinner more than 40 times a year (approximately once a week). During the '80s, macaroni, which was traditionally considered a "blue-collar" down-home meal, was transformed into the more upscale "pasta." As more and more people began to have fun with it and romanticize it throughout the '60s and '70s, its image began to change along with its name. While consumption of pasta has increased substantially since 1975 when Americans ate only 11.3 pounds, we have a long way to go to catch up with Italians who eat about 65 pounds of pasta per person in a year.
9. C) 212,595 – that’s enough to circle the earth's equator nearly nine times! And to cook those one billion pounds of pasta, you would need 2,021,452,000 gallons of water - enough to fill nearly 75,000 Olympic-size swimming pools!
10. A) federal law - So without egg, a noodle really isn't a noodle. While noodles contain egg, almost all other dry pasta shapes do not.
11. A) Serotonin - Serotonin is a chemical produced naturally by the body that helps it relax. Our body's production of serotonin can be increased by eating complex carbohydrates, including pasta. Tryptophan, valine, and lysine are among the six essential amino acids found in pasta. Sprinkling cheese on pasta or serving it with beans are two good ways to complete its protein when you use it in meatless dishes.
12. D) Marinara - Marinara is a kind of tomato sauce originally made by sailors and fishermen who could cook up this light, meatless sauce quickly after a day at sea. Ragu, which became known as "gravy" to some Italian-Americans, and sugo, or "sauce," usually refer to rich sauces made with meat and simmered for hours. Speaking of tomato sauce, pasta existed for thousands of years before anyone ever thought to put tomato sauce on it. The Spanish explorer Cortez brought tomatoes back to Europe from Mexico in 1519. Even then, almost 200 years passed before spaghetti with tomato sauce made its way into Italian kitchens.
13. B) America - The Italians only ate meat a few times a month. So, when they came to America, where meat was so plentiful, they incorporated meat into their cooking more often, making meatballs an American invention.
Pizza Facts
(top)
14. D) 93 –A study done by a U.S. Department of Agriculture statistician and home economist found that in a three-day survey period, 42% of children between the ages of 6 and 11 has eaten pizza. Maybe that's why more than three billion pizzas are consumed in the U.S. each year, making Pizza a $32+ BILLION per year industry. According to a recent Gallop Poll, children between the ages of 3 and 11 prefer PIZZA over all other food groups for lunch and dinner.
15. B) January – More pizza is consumed during Super Bowl week than any other week of the year.
16. A) chicken
17. C) regular thin crust – preferred by 61% of the population. Thick crust and deep dish tied for second, at 14%. Only 11% of the population prefers extra thin.
18. A) Just after
WWI –
Soldiers returning home from World War I brought a taste for this Italian
specialty with them.
19. B) the food
of peasants in Italy
– It’s like they
always say, necessity is the mother of invention.
20. C) 100 acres – Bet you wish you owned that much real estate! Imagine… 100 acres
of pizza EACH DAY, or about 350 slices per second. Each man, woman and child in
America eats and average of 46 slices, (23 pounds), of pizza per year.
21. B) an Italian grocer – Ginero Lombardi was the Italian grocer who first introduced pizza to America.
22. A) 17% – Pizza restaurant growth continues to outpace overall restaurant growth. There are approximately 61,269 pizzerias in the United States. Pizza accounts for more that 10% of all foodservice sales. By the way, according to the National Restaurant Associateion, Italian food ranks as the most popular ethnic food in America.
23. B) 2 out of 3
Favorite U.S. Pizza Toppings (top)
24. D) Pepperoni – 36% of all pizza orders request pepperoni. We eat approximately 251,770,000 pounds of Pepperoni per year. Other popular pizza toppings are, mushrooms, extra cheese, sausage, green pepper and onions. The least favorite topping is anchovy!
25. D) all of the above – Gourmet toppings are gaining ground in some areas of the country such as chicken, oysters, crayfish, dandelions, sprouts, eggplant, Cajun shrimp, artichoke hearts and tuna. More recent trends include game meats such as venison, duck and Canadian bacon.
26. B) 30% – Production of Italian cheeses such as mozzarella, provolone, ricotta, parmesan and Romano by U.S. cheese makers more than doubled between 1980 and 1992, (from 688.6 MILLION pounds per year to nearly 2 BILLION pounds per year.
27. D) 38% - Women are twice as likely as men to order vegetarian toppings on their pizza.
Favorite World-Wide Pizza Toppings (top)
28. C) India – Tandoori chicken and chicken "tikka" are also increasingly popular toppings in India.
29. A) Japan - eel is also a favorite. In Saudi Arabia, all meat toppings must be 100% beef as pork products are not consumed in the country.
30. B) Brazil – Costa Ricans favor coconut, while Australians enjoy shrimp and pineapple, as well as barbeque toppings on their pies. Curry is a big seller in Pakistan.
31. B) Russia – red herring is also a topping of choice.
32. C) France – the combo is called the Flambé
33. A) “Double Dutch” – the recipe calls for double cheese, double onions and double beef.
Pizza Superlatives (top)
34. A) Naples, Italy – in 1830
35. D) New York City- in 1905
36. B) Pizza Hut – with 12,583 locations
37. C) 140 feet - The world's largest pizza was built on October 11, 1987 by Lorenzo Amato and Louis Piancone. The pizza covered 10,000 square feet and measured 140 feet across. It weighed in at 44,457 pounds, consisting of, among other items, 18,174 pounds of flour, 1,103 pounds of water, 6,445 pounds of sauce, 9,375 pounds of cheese and 2,387 pounds of pepperoni. The pie was cut into 94,248 slices and eaten by more than 30,000 spectators at the baking in Havana, Florida.
38. C) Domino's – Dominio’s Pizza stores in Guatemala attempted a world record for the longest chain of pizza. The chain, reaching 500 meters, was donated to local charities.
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