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Two unique bread-based items will be celebrated separately on the same day, as National Bagel Day and National Pizza Day both happen to occur on Thursday, February 9.
These two items are extremely popular foods. Bagels have long been a hallmark breakfast item, while pizza is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated foods in America and around the world.
Pizza
February makes an excellent time of the year for pizza’s special day, especially when Americans are looking for warm and easy meals during the cold weather months. According to Pizza.com, 94 percent of Americans eat pizza regularly. This is no surprise. The combination of bread, cheese, sauce, and any number of delicious toppings makes pizza a formidable choice over any other meal option.
Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza a day or about 350 slices per second. Frankly, that number seems low considering you’d be hard pressed to find too many people who aren’t obsessed with it.
A 2014 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shed some interesting light on pizza’s importance. According to USDA research, 1 in 8 Americans eats pizza any given day. Another fascinating discovery was that pizza eaters get between a quarter and a third of their daily energy from pizza.
About 3 billion pizzas are sold annually in America. Does your foodservice establishment specialize in pizza offerings? It may be something to consider if not, looking at these staggering numbers.
Bagels
While bagels may not quite reach pizza’s popularity in the U.S., they certainly rival most other foods. Bagels are eaten by 61% of adults, typically in the morning and 77% of the time it’s as a main dish.
Bagels are unique from other breads because they are the only bread that is boiled before baked. But they are still so easy to make. The bagel’s quick baking time made it a favorite in Jewish households on Saturday night after the Sabbath and its ban on cooking ended.
There is a long history when it comes to bagels. The first ones are said to have been created in the 1600s in Poland. They were believed to be a gift to women in childbirth, although others say that they were originally created for King John III Sobieski of Poland. When Sobieski saved Austria from the Turkish invaders, a baker made a roll in the shape of the king's stirrup and called it a beugel (the Austrian word for stirrup).
Regardless of its back story, the bagel has remained a favorite bread choice. Plain and sesame are the top two choices, but there are so many different flavors nowadays, with many more bagel spread options.
