What a Coincidence!

Hello! Sorry I have been MIA lately, but we are crazy busy right now with traveling, school work, etc.

This past week we did a Northern trip up to Pienza (Tuscany), Florence, Modena, and Parma. It was wonderful but very stressful and exhausting at the same time. While I had some down time in Tuscany, I thought I would catch up on reading my Awake magazines (literature distributed by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Jehovah's Witnesses) that I brought with me. It amazes me that everytime I read the Awake, the information is always relevant to something going on in my life or current events occuring around the world.

And what a coincidence that while I am studying in Italy, I would find an awesome article about PIZZA in the AWAKE! I was so shocked, surprised, happy! So, since I was so excited about the information that I read, I wanted to share it with you! :)

Here is a picture of the article:

The story was titled 'A Penchant For Pizza'

What I learned from the article:

King Ferdinand I is said to have disguised himself as a commoner who visited a poor neighborhood in Naples. One story has it that he wanted to sink his teeth into a food that the queen had banned from the royal court...pizza.

If Ferdinand were alive today, he would have no trouble indulging his appetite. Currently, there are some 30,000 pizzerias in Italy, and each year they produce enough pizzas to serve 45 to each inhabitant!

Pizza may have originated in Naples (which is a really bad city by the way) about 1720. Back then, pizza was primarily for the poor, a "fast food" that was sold and consumed outdoors. Vendors would traverse the streets loudly calling out to advertise their tasty delicacies. The pizzas were kept warm in a scudo, a copper receptacle that was carried on the vendor's head.

King Ferdinand I eventually made his penchant for pizza known to the royal court. Before long, this street delicacy won such favor that even members of the wealthy elite and the royal class began flocking to pizzerias. Ferdinand's grandson, King Ferdinand II, went so far as to have a wood-burning oven built in the gardens of Capodimonte Palace in 1832. Thus, he was able to keep his aristocratic guests happy.

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Fun Facts about pizza from the article:

- Pizza is best cooked in a wood-burning oven. The smoke that is released during cooking gives the pizza a delicate aroma, while the thin layer of ash on the bottom of the pizza gives it a delicious taste. Now I know why Faccia Luna pizza (in State College) is the best pizza around! :)

- The world's largest circular pizza was made in 1990. Its diameter measured more than 122 feet and it weighed more than 12 tons!

-The age-old custom of throwing pizza dough into the air and rotating it is not just for show. The centrifugal force that is created flattens the dough into a disk with a slightly raised border- a perfect base for a pizza!

Pretty interesting, huh? Now you know all you need to know about Pizza! :)

So, some facts that I know about pizza:

Pizza is favorite food of many many people and is often considered as an "unhealthy food." But can Pizza be nutritious? Yes! To be considered nutritious, pizza should be made from healthful ingredients that are balanced in carbs, proteins, and fats and that are rich in vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Olive Oil is a recommended ingredient in pizza. It promotes the formation of HDL, which is the "good" cholesterol. It rarely causes digestive problems because the carbohydrates in the flour receive lots of hydration during the kneading and leavening process. The presence of complex carbohydrates contributes to a full feeling, which usually helps keeps even the most enthusiastic pizza lover from overindulging.

The next time you indulge your penchant for pizza, recall its humble origins and be glad that King Ferdinand did not keep his love for pizza a secret. :)

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Tomorrow I will update on my past adventures that have happened: Caprese salad creations, Pienza (Tuscany), Florence, Modena and Parma. Lots to say. We are in Rome tonight and tomorrow, then we are off for more traveling to Southern Italy and that will mean that I am half way until I come home!

I hope everyone is doing well! Talk to you soon! xoxo.

Ciao!