Pizza facts you never knew

Fun facts about pizza from Peatzeria

Peatzeria is a popular pizza restaurant on the Isle of Islay in Scotland. Since 2017, we’ve been serving our guests the finest pizzas with locally-sourced toppings. Today, we’ve been looking into some fun pizza facts from Scotland, the UK and around the world. Let’s dive in…

Pizza went from humble beginnings to a royal favourite

Pizza, as we know it, began as a simple flatbread in Naples, Italy, sold by street vendors to feed workers affordably. But in 1889, Queen Margherita’s love for a green basil, white mozzarella and red tomato-topped version, symbolising Italy’s flag, gave it royal approval. Created by Raffaele Esposito, this dish became the iconic Margherita and contributed to pizza’s rise in popularity.

It took almost a hundred years to make it big in the UK

Pizza didn’t truly go global until much later. As international travel became more accessible in the 20th century, people around the world became aware of pizza as a new and exciting dish. In the UK, its popularity steadily grew from the 1950s and really took off in the 80s. Perfect for eating on the go, dining out, or enjoying at home, it was a big hit and went on to become a national favourite.

National Pizza Day is on 9th February

Now we love our pizza here in Scotland and the UK. So much so, we have a special day devoted to it. National Pizza Day is on 9th February and it’s an excuse to celebrate all things pizza.

Pizza is one of the UK’s most popular takeaways

According to a YouGov survey, pizza is in the top 5 most popular takeaway foods in the UK, along with Indian, Chinese, Fish and Chips, and Thai food. And when visiting Islay in Scotland, you can get your takeaway pizza fix with us!

It’s also the most popular food in the world

Pizza frequently tops the list as the most popular food in the world! The combination of bread, cheese and sauce satisfies a wide range of tastes, and toppings can be easily adapted to different local cultures.

Pizzas are world record-breaking

Pizza is celebrated all over the world in different ways. There are Guinness World Records for the longest pizza, largest pizza, highest pizza toss, largest pizza party, longest line of pizzas and many more!

Haggis is a pizza topping in Scotland

Here at Peatzeria, we like to create uniquely Scottish pizzas. Our own Pizza Peatzeria is topped with peppercorn sauce and mozzarella cheese, chicken, black pudding, Scottish haggis and Calabrian sausage. We also have a range of fresh Islay seafood pizzas, with toppings like scallops, crab, smoked mussels, braden rost and smoked salmon.

We hope you’ve enjoyed these fun pizza facts from Scotland, the UK and around the world. For a taste of delicious, authentic Italian pizza with a Scottish twist, come and see us at Peatzeria on the beautiful island of Islay.