New Delhi: Did you know it’s World Pizza Day today? Yes, foodies, you read it right, February 9 is observed as ‘Pizza Day’ across the globe to celebrate the glory of this delicious Italian savory. This said, we all know that the first thing that springs to one’s mind when they think of an Italian dish is nothing else but pizza. Even various ancient cultures such as the Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans had some form of flatbread with toppings on it, it wasn’t until the 10th Century that the word ‘pizza’ was first documented in central Italy. Hence, as we celebrate World Pizza Day today, here are some really interesting facts about pizza that will blow your mind:

* The word pizza was first recorded in the 10th century Latin manuscript from the Southern Italian town of Gaeta in Lazio.

*The first pizza was invented in Naples in the early 1500s. As per reports, William E. Macaulay Honors College discovered that the lower-income people of Naples would put slices of tomatoes on dough and top it with cheese to make a cheap and easy meal for their families.

*The first documented pizzeria in the world was open in Port’Alba in Naples, Italy during the late 1800s

*Pizzas in Italy were originally square-shaped.

*A person who makes pizza is referred to as a pizzaiolo.

*Pizza was not popular in the United States until World War II. After stationed soldiers in Italy grew a liking for pizza during the WWII, they brought the idea back to the US and afterwards it became famous in America too.

*In Scotland, you would find something called ‘deep-fried’ pizza. Instead of baking the pizza, chefs just deep fry the whole pizza and toppings resulting in a delectable treat.

*In 2013, NASA funded a prototype 3D printer that could create food for astronauts on long-duration space missions; Pizza was one of the foods that was on the device.

* The most expensive pizza in the world costs almost €9,000 (Rs. 7,93,880)

*The world record for the largest pizza is 122 feet, 8 inches in diameter.

*In 2013, Domino’s made DVDs that smelled like pizza.

*One 18-inch pizza gives you more pizza than two 12-inch pizzas.

*As per a study, people who ate pizza at least once a week had less chance of developing cancer.

*There are more than 34 million ways to create a pizza from Domino’s

*Domino’s “World’s Fastest Pizza Maker” can make three large pizzas in just 47.56 seconds