Pizza: Mankind's Greatest Achievement?

In the millions of years that human beings have existed, they've always needed to eat something. They grew, caught or microwaved something from nature's bounty and added sauce if it wasn't flavorful enough. When you look at all the endless variety of food eaten on this planet, one dish stands out among all the rest – pizza. The concept of putting all of your favorite stuff on a piece of bread and baking it may very well be one of humankind's greatest achievements. 

Beauty In Simplicity

You can go to a famous gourmet pizza shop somewhere where you construct your own pie using a complex system; but really one of the best things about this dish is its simplicity. Baked bread with something on top – that's all you need to have a delicious, filling meal. This is a major reason why this is one of our favorite foods.

Have It Your Way

Another beautiful thing about this dish is its versatility. You can put absolutely anything on it. We have our ordinary staple ingredients – pepperoni, sausage, black olives, green peppers. But the only limit to what you can put on your pie is your own imagination. Anything that crawls, swims, grows in the garden or adds spice can be put on it. Even fruits have made a valuable contribution (the pineapple chunks nestled in the cheese of your Hawaiian style).

From Sea To Shining Sea

You may not know this, but every nook and cranny of this great nation has its own pizza style. There's versatility not only in toppings, but in baking methods, pan depths, cheeses and sauces. In America alone there's New York style, Chicago style, St. Louis style, New England style, Colorado style, California style - and that's just to name a few of the famous ones!

Food For All The World

Not only do you find it everywhere in the US, you find it all over the world too. This pie first came over the ocean from Italy after World War 2 with returning servicemen. It spread like wildfire across the nation and from there took over the world. Topped with curry in India and Pakistan; seafood and mayonnaise in Japan; coconuts in Costa Rica; every corner of the world has its own take on this Italian delicacy.

Eat It How You Like It

It even tastes good cold! You can't say that about a burger or hot dog. You can cut it up with a knife and fork and dip into your favorite sauce. You can fold it and eat it like a sandwich. You can even eat it upside down if that's your fancy. Pizza is probably the most eatable food you can have.

Scholars and academics argue over mankind's greatest achievement. 15,000 years of civilization and we've produced many great things. When it comes to what's on the table, many would agree that pizza is the human race's finest moment. Try finding any other food on earth that's eaten by so many people in so many different ways.