30 appetizing facts about pizza - Almost everyone loves pizza. It is one of the most popular foods in the world and forever associated with Italy and especially the city of Naples, where it's claimed the first circular pizza was created. But did you know that the ancient Egyptians developed the recipe, and that their pizzas were square? These and other tasty facts can be digested by clicking on the gallery.

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Ancient Egyptian recipe - The history of pizza began not in Italy, but ancient Egypt. It's generally accepted that the Egyptians were the first to mix flour with water to make the first pizza base around 5,000 years ago.

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Alternative origins - Another theory suggests that it was a Turkish bread brought to Naples during the Crusades that marks the true beginnings of the humble pizza base.

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Pizzas for squares - Pizzas first appeared on the plate as square, sandwich-like creations, similar to calzone.

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The pizza is born! - Pizza aficionados claim Naples as the true birthplace of the first circular pizza. Furthermore, it was the Neopolitans who came up with the idea of throwing tomato and oregano into the mix.

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The pizza Margherita - And a citizen of Naples grabs the glory for the creation of the Pizza Margherita. In the 19th century, tavern owner Rafaelle Esposito put together a pizza in the colors of the Italian flag using mozzarella cheese (white), basil (green) and tomato (red) in honor of Queen Margherita, wife of Umberto I.

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Pizza Day - When the royal couple first tasted Esposito's pizza, on 10 July 1889, the day became known as Pizza Day.

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Top that! - The pizza achieved further gravitas when, in 2001, Pizza Hut arranged a delivery to the International Space Station. The American company paid the Russians $1 million to film the historic delivery as part of a slick advertising campaign.

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Hot and cold - The exotic-sounding Hawaiian pizza was actually created by a Greek, Sam Panopoulos, in a restaurant in Ontario, Canada. He decided upon the name "Hawaiian" after adding tinned pineapples to the recipe.

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It's all in a name - Believe it or not, one of the first frozen pizza companies in the world was run by a family whose surname was 'Pizza.'

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Size matters - The world's largest circular pizza was made in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1990. Chefs used nearly 500 kilos of flour, 800 kilos of cheese, and 900 tomatoes to prepare the sauce. The huge base was approximately 37 meters in diameter.

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The record breakers - Japanese competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi holds the world record for eating a 12-inch pizza in the fastest time. He wolfed one down in just 60 seconds! Romanian Cristian Dumitru holds the world record for eating the greatest quantity, gorging down a whopping 90 kilos of pizza in a single week.

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Pizza to go, go, go - The furthest distance a pizza has been delivered is 17,000 km. A London branch of the Domino's pizzeria chain delivered a pizza from the UK's capital city to Melbourne, Australia.

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Big appetites - New York City consumes the greatest number of pizzas in the world, followed by the equally ravenous citizens of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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Consumers - But in terms of the country with the greatest number of pizza gobblers, Brazil tops the list, with Rio de Janeiro joining Sao Paulo as the pizza-eating centers of the world.

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Rich ingredients - It's back to the Big Apple for the world's most expensive commercially sold pizza, a creation flavored with four different types of caviar, fresh lobster, salmon, and a dash of wasabi. This millionaire's pizza is sold at at Nino's Belissima Pizzeria in New York City.

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Worth its weight in gold - The most expensive pizza ever made was the Pizza Royale 007. Prepared by the Italian Domenico Crolla, ingredients include caviar soaked in champagne, lobster marinated in cognac, smoked Scottish salmon, all topped off with edible 24-carat gold flakes. The price? $4,200.

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Brand awareness - The world's largest chain of pizzeria is Pizza Hut. The American company operates 12,000 branches in nearly 100 countries.

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Pizza Hut or the real deal? - Funnily enough, Pizza Hut has never opened a restaurant in Italy. Perhaps through fear of competition?

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Food for the masses - Back in the day. pizza was considered a food for the poor people of southern Italy. It was made with cheap but plentiful ingredients.

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Delivered on the wing - Alaska has pizza delivery services undertaken by aircraft.

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High on deep pan - According to Vice, selected pizzerias in Cambodia offer a special 'Happy Pizza,' which is basically an ordinary pizza served with a side of marijuana.

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"Smellevison" - Amazingly, some DVD movies on sale in the USA have been designed to release the aroma of freshly baked pizza when heated up in the DVD player during use.

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Eating his words - Former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi insulted Finland in 2005 by recommending the EU Food Safety Authority be located in Italy, rather than in Finland because Italy is synonymous with good cuisine. Three years later, after Finland defeated Italy in an international pizza competition, they christened their winning effort the Berlusconi Pizza.

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Hacked off waiting - In 2012, a group of hackers known as UGNazi hacked into the site of the American pizzeria chain Papa Johns because the pizza they had ordered was delivered two hours late.

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Food for fans - In a remarkable demonstration of goodwill, or clever self promotion, singer Lady Gaga spent around $1,000 on pizzas for fans waiting patiently in line before one of her concerts.

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A huge slice of the market - Market research suggests that around 350 slices of pizza are sold every second in the USA.

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Highland recipe - Some pizzas made in Scotland are fried rather than baked.

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Baker's dozen - The first recorded use of the word "pizza" appeared in a Latin text originating in the Italian city of Gaeta in 997 BC. It explained that a certain individual owed another "duodecim pizze," that is, twelve pizzas.

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Electronic inspiration - Did you know that there's a connection between the early Pac-Man video game and pizzas. The game's inventor, Japanese designer Toru Iwatani, created his character after being inspired by a the shape of a circular pizza with a piece missing.

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The basic ingredients - In its early incarnation, the humble pizza was topped off with locally sourced herbs and smothered with olive oil, the basic ingredients of Italy's southern regions.

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