America’s #1: how pizza won hearts across all the American continent
We tell you here that pizza has its beginnings in the Middle East, but it was in Italy, specifically in Naples, that it gained the characteristics of today. However, it is in the United States that pizza becomes extremely popular, becoming one of the most democratic and appreciated options in any meal.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Italian immigrants who arrived in North America took with them the recipes already established in their country of origin. They settled mainly in the New York and Chicago regions, and in the beginning, pizzas were sold in slices, in small bakeries and neighborhood cafes.
From the streets of NY to the door of our house
In 1905, an Italian guy called Genaro Lombardi opens the first pizzeria in New York. In the 1930s, Lombardi added tables and chairs to his establishment, which also served other dishes of Italian origin. Over the next 25 years, pizzerias would open across the US, especially in Boston, acquiring their own characteristics and adding local flavors to the recipes.
After World War II, pizza definitely became fashionable in the United States, when US soldiers returned from the war talking about the delicacy they had eaten in Italy. Also during this period, deliveries appeared, making access to pizzas easier. The service started in New York, where pizzas were stored in containers for transport and delivery. Since then, the desire for the convenience of having a pizza at home has only increased. After all, who doesn’t like to get a hot pizza? And about temperature control NOVUS understands! Today, the United States consumes approximately 3 billion pizzas a year, an impressive 350 pieces of pizza consumed per second.
Brazil: The fantastic world where pizzas can have almost any imaginable filling
Pizza arrived in Brazil also by the hands of Italian immigrants, who arrived at the port of Santos-SP. The first pizzeria in Brazil was opened in 1910, in the neighborhood of Brás, in São Paulo. Before the opening of the establishment, the delicacy was already consumed on the streets, as a snack, at any time of the day. They were sold, as in Italy, by boys who carried little copper stoves, like drums, filled with ready-made pizzas that were kept warm by coals.
Despite its Italian origin, the pizza – just like the city of São Paulo – received the influence of other ethnic groups very well. In the 1920s, the first pizzaiolos of non-Italian origin appeared, adding the spice of their countries or regions to the round. Today, 80% of pizzaiolos in São Paulo come from the Northeast of Brazil.
And it was in the 1950s that pizza became the darling of Brazil, with the spread of pizzerias from the north to the south of the country. Today, it is part of the menu of most Brazilians.
São Paulo is today the second largest pizza consumer city in the world, second only to New York. According to the Union of Hotels, Restaurants, Bars and Similar in the city, around 43 million pizzas are consumed per month in Greater São Paulo.
Pizza is part of Brazilian culture and each state has its favorite and unique flavors. Strogonoff pizza, chicken heart and even hazelnut cream with fruit. As they say: “taste: each one has its own.” However, what everyone agrees is that pizza should be served at the right temperature.
NOVUS has strong allies, which add advantages for everyone: oven manufacturers, system integrators, pizzeria owners, pizza parlors and for you, who certainly enjoy your pizza hot and on whim! Contact our experts and learn more.
