Italian cooking could be genetic

The Cracker Barrel Notes - by Bob Krumm

Hidden deep within my chromosomes is a recessive gene linked to a craving for Italian cuisine. While many geneticists are busy researching genes that could cure cancer, I'm thinking my contribution could be studying the I-Cuisine Gene.

All scientists work from a hypothesis, trying to prove or disprove their theory. My hypothesis is simple: All things Italian are good whether prepared at home, purchased at a restaurant, or pre-packaged.

Now, to prove this hypothesis I will need a control group, in this case one individual who will eat a large number of Italian meals with me (less expensive that way)! To keep away from any sexual biasses, that person will obviously be female.

I figure we'll try frozen and canned Italian foods. I will also prepare some Italian dishes at home. We will go to restaurants and try their offerings. And we will also visit numerous pizza shops.

Pizza is near the top of my list to check out. Most of us are very familiar with pizza, but it wasn't always that way. The first American pizzas were known as Tomato Pie, which were built the opposite of pizza pies -- first the cheese, then the toppings, and then the sauce.

In 1905 Gennaro Lombardi opened the first United States pizzeria in New York City. It wasn't until the early 1930s that he added tables and chairs and sold spaghetti as well.

Then in 1943 Chicago-style deep-dish pizza (a pizza with a flaky crust that rises an inch or more above the plate and surrounds deep piles of toppings) was created by Ike Sewell at his bar and grill called Pizzeria Uno.

With the stationing of American soldiers in Italy during World War II came a growing appreciation of pizza. When the soldiers returned home they brought with them a taste for pizza.

The first commercial pizza-pie mix, Roman Pizza Mix, was produced in Worcester, Mass., in 1948.

It wasn't until the 1950s that Americans really started noticing pizza. Celebrities of Italian origin, such as Jerry Colonna, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Durante, and baseball star Joe DiMaggio all devoured pizzas. It is also said that the line from the song by famous singer, Dean Martin; "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that amore," set America singing and eating pizzas.

The first frozen pizzas were introduced and found in local grocery stores in 1957.

Ninety-four percent of the population of the U.S. eats pizza. (Source: Parade Magazine.) Today pizza can be found in shops on every street corner, on market shelves and freezer cases.

October is National Pizza Month. It was first so designated in 1987 and continues to be the traditional time for celebration of one of America's most important and popular food industries.

Here are some more interesting facts about pizza: Americans eat about 100 acres of pizza each day, or about 350 slices per second. Pizza is a $30 billion per year industry. There are about 69,000 pizzerias in the United States. Approximately three billion pizzas are sold in the U.S. each year. (Source: Blumenfeld and Associates.) Pizzerias represent 17 percent of all restaurants. (Source: Food Industry News.) Pizza accounts for more that 10 percent of all food service sales. (Source: Food Industry News.) Ninety-three percent of Americans eat at least one pizza per month. (Source: Bolla Wines.) Each man, woman and child in America eats an average of 46 slices, (23 pounds), of pizza per year. (Source: Packaged Facts, New York.)

According to a recent Gallop Poll, children between the ages of 3 and 11 prefer pizza over all other food groups for lunch and dinner.

A study done by a U.S. Department of Agriculture statistician and home economist found that in a three-day survey period, 42 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 11 had eaten pizza.

I'm looking forward to this experiment. Actually, it's lunch time and writing this column has my stomach rumbling with hunger pangs. I'm gonna head down to a place I heard about that offers an excellent pizza buffet and try it.

It'll take some months, but I'll let you know how this experiment turns out!