Although pizza is one of the most popular foods in the U.S., with millions of people enjoying it every week, sausage isn’t the most popular pizza topping. However, sausage is the star of the day on National Sausage Pizza Day. This holiday is celebrated on October 11^th every year, so people might want to enjoy this tasty food item on this day.

The History of Sausage Pizza

Although we attempted to research the origins of National Sausage Pizza Day, we were unable to find out its origins. So, we thought that we’d research the origins of sausage pizza instead. And that led us on a journey that spanned thousands of years and one that, quite frankly, made us very hungry.

To find the history of this food, you first have to research the history of pizza itself. Pizza can be traced back to a dish that Persian soldiers made during the 6^th century BC. This dish was a flatbread covered in dates and cheese and then baked on the Persian soldiers’ shields.

The Greeks also made a dish using flatbread that was called plakous and was topped not only with cheese and garlic but also with an assortment of onions and herbs. Of course, all of these dishes were flatbread creations, and the modern analog of pizza wouldn’t be invented until 997 AD in Gaeta.

This is when a dish was created that was very much like the pizzas we enjoy today. Eventually, this dish would spread to parts of Central and Southern Italy. During World War II, Allied troops stationed in Italy discovered pizza, along with other types of Italian foods, and brought that desire for it back to the United States.

Fortunately, Italian immigrants were already making their versions of pizza, so when demand met supply, pizza took off. We’re not really sure when sausage was added to pizzas, but we’re willing to bet that it was probably one of the first ingredients.

That’s because sausage as a food has been around for thousands of years, probably predating pizza itself, so we’d be surprised if many of these early pizzas didn’t have sausage as a topping.

Celebrating National Sausage Pizza Day

This holiday can be easily enjoyed by taking a few moments to order or make your own sausage pizza. It’s also a good day to share pictures of your sausage pizza on social media accounts using the hashtag #NationalSausagePizzaDay.

Maybe this holiday will eventually promote sausage from its number two position up to number one on the list of the most-eaten pizzas. Although technically, it’s already there because pepperoni just so happens to be a type of sausage.