Make the most of National Pizza Party Day on the third Friday in May by whipping up everyone’s favorite finger food at home for you or your entire crew.
Though thought of as an Italian dish, pizza has existed much longer in one form or another. Baked bread has been topped with flavorings since the Neolithic Age. Ancient civilizations enjoyed their own variations, with Romans enjoying focaccia with oil, herbs, nuts, and seeds while Greeks flavored flatbread with oils, herbs, and cheese and Persian soldiers learned to bake pizzas on the hot surfaces of their shields for an easy meal. The traditional pizza we all love originated in Naples around the middle of the 16th century through street vendors looking to sell an inexpensive meal to eat on-the-go. Italian immigrants later introduced this type of pizza to America around the turn of the twentieth century, where it became the crowd-pleaser we know it as today.
This year, throw your own pizza party. Start your day with an easy-to-make Scrambled Egg and Mozzarella Breakfast Pizza to prepare yourself for a day of celebration. Listen to a podcast or two about the history of pizza before you pick up ingredients and pizza-themed decorations on your lunch break. That evening, invite family or a few close friends over and compete to see who can make the best pizza. Create and knead your own dough, tossing it into the air and attempting to catch it with your hands, not your face. Add your choice of toppings and plenty of cheese, make sure that crust is brushed with oil, and place it in the oven to cook, taking a moment to catch up before you evaluate each other’s pizza-making skills.
The simple base of flavors—sauce and toasted cheese—is irresistible yet basic enough that it allows for endless experimentation and innovation in your pizza creations. For ideas on how to win Best Pizza, gain some flavor inspiration with this Cheesy Supreme Crustless Pizza or this Monterey Jack Pita Pizza for the pineapple-on-pizza-lovers. People from around the world and across time have enjoyed their own version of pizza, so don’t be afraid to experiment and break the rules of what qualifies as pizza. In the end, everyone will have a tasty slice to bite into on National Pizza Party Day.