You Wanna Pizza Me?

Move over Valentines, February just got a new favourite day of the month.

For those of you not in the know, today is National Pizza Day.

Yes, that's right. Your favourite circular dish has got its own day, and rightly so - it's only be around since the bloody 10th century!

The pizza that we know and love today, first came about in Naples, Italy, with the first pizzeria being opened in 1738. From anchovies to zucchini, since its cheesy beginnings, it has gone on to inspire the many different variations that we consume around the world.

Interestingly as of 2009, pizzerias all over the world who want to make the famous "Neapolitan" pizza, will have to conform to a list of strict ingredients - and believe it or not, this is actually protected by the European Union. These Italians are so serious that there's a non-profit organisation dedicated to protect it. The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana or the True Neapolitan Pizza Association has been in operation since 1984.

The recipe for a traditional and authentic Neapolitan includes San Marzano tomatoes, grown on the volcanic plains south of Mount Vesuvius, and mozzarella di bufala Campana, made with milk from water buffalo raised in the marshlands of Campania and Lazio. Genuine Neapolitan pizzas must have a raised crust and a base of no more than an eighth of an inch thick. The dough must be stretched by hand, rather than flattened with a rolling pin, and then cooked in a wood-fired oven on a stone slab.

Another slice of history with the Margherita pizza, another staple of Italian restaurants. It was first created in 1889 and named after Queen Margherita of Savoy. It is said that the Queen wanted her pizza covered in the colours of the Italian flag; Green for basil, red for the tomatoes and white for the mozzarella.

Pizza eventually made it's way to the US with Italian immigrants in the late nineteenth century and became popular again after Italian soldiers returned after WW2. In 1905, The country's first pizzeria, Lombardi's, opened. Since then, pizza has become one of America's favourite dishes, and thankfully so - they gave us deep dish and Domino's.

A pepperoni and pepper I made before

According to the American Pizza Community, there are 74,800 pizzerias in the US, of which 52% are independently owned. One in eight people in the US over the age of two eating the stuff on any given day, reported the Guardian. The National Day Calendar says that over 3 billion pizzas are sold in the USA each year - add another 1 billion on frozen pizzas.

In honour of our favourite cheesy flatbread, and if you're feeling a bit more adventurous then your standard frozen Chicago Town or local takeaway, here's my pizza recipe.

Dough

300g of flour

1 tsp of instant yeast, but I used baking powder

1tsp of salt

1 glut of olive oil

Sauce

Small carton of passata

1 tbsp of dried italian herbs

Few leaves of fresh basil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

salt and pepper

* If you have some wine, throw a splash in

Toppings and Cheese

Toppings are to your own taste

Mozzarella, preferably the balls, chops in circular slices
A handful of grated cheese
Cook for 15-17 minutes, or until the crust is golden