Almost 2 out of 3 Italians (65%) eat pizza at least once a week, but there are also 13% who put it on their plate 2 to 4 times a week during a lunch break or as dinner, at home, but also out thanks to a network of 121 thousand premises from North to South. This is what emerges from a Coldiretti/Ipsos survey on the occasion of World Italian Pizza Day, which is celebrated on 17 January. Despite the multiplication of the offer, the daisy remains the most widespread and appreciated. Legend has it that in June 1889, to honor the Queen of Italy Margherita of Savoy, the chef Raffaele Esposito prepared the 'Pizza Margherita' topped with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil, to represent the colors of the Italian flag. Since then it has been among the most replicated recipes in the world.
With a turnover that rises to over 15 billion euros a year, pizza confirms itself as a treasure of Made in Italy and a backbone of an economic system which – Coldiretti highlights – guarantees work for 100 thousand full-time employees and as many 100 thousand on weekends or part time. In Italy, 2.7 billion pizzas are baked per year, which means 200 million kilos of flour, 225 million kilos of mozzarella, 30 million kilos of olive oil and 260 million kilos of tomato sauce. While in the world there is no peace for the real Made in Italy pizza – underlines the association – with variants that have made the wrists of 1 in 3 Italians (36%) tremble, who while traveling abroad have encountered the most unlikely versions and the most bizarre condiments: from pineapple to bananas, from those seasoned with kangaroo and zebra meat, or with snakes and crickets, to the spicy one with the tandoori chicken of Indian cuisine immersed in yogurt, up to the one with the cannabis.
Among Italians who have 'burned' themselves with pizza abroad, according to the survey, 14% said they were very disappointed, while another 22% said they were quite dissatisfied. A share of 26% did not trust and had never eaten pizza abroad, but there was also 6% of enthusiasts and 20% who quite liked it. The disappointment with pizzas abroad concerns various aspects: in first place the dough (52%), in second place the flavor (48%) and in third place the type of ingredients used (36%), also considering the oddities widespread abroad from the Italian borders. But among the reasons for disappointment there are also the unusual combination of ingredients (34%), incorrect cooking (30%), high cost (25%), preparation (24%) and poor digestibility (23%).
To combat deception, it is important that the origin of the ingredients indicated is indicated in restaurants, as requested by 92% of Italians according to the survey, to avoid unknowingly serving dishes in which frozen curds from Lithuania are used for mozzarella, a concentrate of Chinese tomato, but also Tunisian oil and Canadian wheat flour. “Guaranteeing the authenticity of the recipe and the art of preparation also means defending a dish which is an integral part of our dining tradition, threatened throughout the world by the spread of fake Made in Italy products which have reached the astronomical figure of 120 billion euro, practically double our exports, taking jobs and growth away from Italy”, declares the president of Coldiretti, Ettore Prandini.
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