Pizza Quiz
Naples, Chicago, Detroit and the delivery giants: 15 questions on the world's favourite food.
The tomato, mozzarella and basil on a pizza Margherita are said to represent the colours of which country's flag?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Italy
Legend says Neapolitan pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito served Queen Margherita of Savoy a red, white and green pizza in June 1889 to echo the Italian tricolour, and the pizza took her name. Historians note the story was mostly promoted decades later.
Esposito's shop survives in Naples as Pizzeria Brandi, which displays a letter of thanks said to come from the queen's household.
Which American city is famous for deep-dish pizza baked in a high-sided pan?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Chicago
Chicago deep dish is baked in a round steel pan with a tall buttery crust, cheese laid directly on the dough and chunky tomato sauce on top, so the whole thing eats more like a pie than a flatbread.
Pizzeria Uno in Chicago, opened in 1943, is usually credited with popularising the deep-dish style.
Which pizza chain is known for its 'Pizza! Pizza!' catchphrase?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Little Caesars
Little Caesars introduced 'Pizza! Pizza!' in 1979 to promote its offer of two pizzas for roughly the price of one pizza from a competitor, and the doubled phrase became one of the most recognisable slogans in fast food.
Little Caesars was founded by Mike and Marian Ilitch in Garden City, Michigan, in 1959, and Mike Ilitch later bought the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers.
Hawaiian pizza, topped with ham and pineapple, was invented in which country?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Canada
Greek-born restaurateur Sam Panopoulos first put canned pineapple and ham on a pizza in 1962 at the Satellite Restaurant in Chatham, Ontario, Canada. He named it after the Hawaiian Pineapple Company brand on the tin.
Pineapple on pizza is so divisive that Iceland's president joked in 2017 that he would ban it if he could, then clarified he had no such power.
In which year did Pizza Hut launch its Stuffed Crust pizza, with a ring of mozzarella baked into the edge?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
1995
Pizza Hut introduced Stuffed Crust on March 26, 1995, backed by a huge advertising campaign that told customers to eat the pizza crust first. It became one of the most copied innovations in chain pizza history.
Pizza Hut also sent a vacuum-sealed, 15 cm (6 inch) pizza to the International Space Station in 2001, where cosmonaut Yuri Usachov ate it.
The first Domino's store opened in 1960 in which Michigan city?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Ypsilanti
Brothers Tom and Jim Monaghan took over a small pizzeria called DomiNick's in Ypsilanti, Michigan, in 1960. The business was renamed Domino's Pizza in 1965 after an employee suggested the name.
The three dots on the Domino's logo stand for the three stores the company owned in 1965, with plans to add a dot for each new store soon abandoned.
Traditional Neapolitan pizza is made with which variety of tomato?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
San Marzano
San Marzano plum tomatoes, grown in the volcanic soil near Mount Vesuvius, are the traditional choice for Neapolitan pizza because they are sweet, low in acid and have few seeds, which makes a smooth uncooked sauce.
The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana requires a wood-fired oven at about 485°C (905°F) and a bake of only 60 to 90 seconds.
Which American city's signature pizza uses Provel cheese on a cracker-thin crust cut into squares?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
St. Louis
St. Louis style pizza uses Provel, a processed blend of cheddar, Swiss and provolone that melts into a gooey layer, on an unleavened crust. It is cut into small squares rather than wedges, a pattern known as the tavern cut.
Provel is rarely sold outside the St. Louis area, and the local chain Imo's Pizza has served the style since 1964.
Detroit-style pizza was originally baked in which kind of pan?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Automotive parts trays
Buddy's Rendezvous in Detroit created the style in 1946 using rectangular blue steel pans that local automotive suppliers made as drip trays and parts holders. The pans give the thick crust its crisp, caramelised cheese edges.
Detroit style is finished with Wisconsin brick cheese spread to the edges and tomato sauce ladled on top in stripes, which is why some call it a red top.
Papa John's founder John Schnatter sold his first pizzas in 1984 from a converted broom closet in his father's tavern in which state?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Indiana
Schnatter installed a pizza oven in a broom closet at Mick's Lounge, his father's tavern in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and sold pizzas to the bar's customers. He opened the first Papa John's restaurant next door the following year.
The company is now headquartered just across the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky, and uses the slogan Better Ingredients. Better Pizza.
A traditional Neapolitan pizza marinara is notable for not containing which ingredient?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Cheese
Pizza marinara is topped with tomato, garlic, oregano and extra virgin olive oil and no cheese at all. Despite the name it contains no seafood: it was supposedly a cheap meal that sailors' families could prepare from stored ingredients.
The marinara and the Margherita are the only two pizzas recognised as true Neapolitan pizza under the strictest tradition.
Locals in New Haven, Connecticut, use which name for their thin, coal-fired pizza?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Apizza
New Haven pizza is called apizza, pronounced roughly ah-beets, from the Neapolitan dialect phrase for the pizza. The style began at Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in 1925 and is known for its charred, chewy crust.
Pepe's is credited with inventing the white clam pie, topped with fresh littleneck clams, garlic, oregano and grated cheese but no tomato sauce.
In which year did UNESCO add the art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo to its list of intangible cultural heritage?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
2017
UNESCO inscribed the art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo in December 2017, recognising the craft of hand-stretching dough and baking it in a wood-fired oven, along with the songs and gestures that go with it in Naples.
The successful bid was backed by a petition of around two million signatures gathered in Italy and abroad.
On May 22, 2010, programmer Laszlo Hanyecz paid how many bitcoins for two Papa John's pizzas?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
10,000
Hanyecz offered 10,000 bitcoins on an online forum to anyone who would order him two pizzas, and a 19-year-old in California accepted. The coins were worth around 41 dollars at the time, and the date is now celebrated as Bitcoin Pizza Day.
The transaction is widely regarded as the first documented purchase of physical goods with bitcoin.
The earliest known written use of the word pizza, from 997 AD, comes from which Italian town?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Gaeta
A Latin document from Gaeta, a port town between Rome and Naples, records in 997 AD that a tenant owed the local bishop twelve pizzas every Christmas and Easter. The word then spread through other parts of southern Italy.
Modern pizza with tomato only became possible after tomatoes arrived from the Americas and were accepted as food in Naples during the 18th century.
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All Food and Drink quizzes →About the Pizza Quiz
The word pizza was written down in the Italian town of Gaeta in 997 AD, nine centuries before anyone argued about pineapple. Today a true Neapolitan pie bakes for about 60 to 90 seconds in a 485°C (905°F) wood-fired oven, Detroit squares come out of blue steel trays borrowed from car factories, and one programmer famously paid 10,000 bitcoin for two Papa John's pizzas.
These 15 questions cover the classic Neapolitan rules, the regional American styles from Chicago to New Haven, the stories behind Domino's, Little Caesars and Pizza Hut, and a few deep cuts for people who know their Provel from their fior di latte. It suits anyone who has ever had a strong opinion about toppings.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Easy. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
How many questions are in the Pizza Quiz?
There are 15 multiple choice questions, each with four options, an instant answer and a short explanation of the fact behind it.
What does the Pizza Quiz cover?
It mixes pizza history in Naples, regional American styles such as Chicago deep dish and Detroit style, famous chains and a few record and trivia questions.
How hard is the Pizza Quiz?
It is rated Easy. The first few questions are easy for most people, and the last few, such as the UNESCO year and the origin of the word pizza, will test real fans.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- The tomato, mozzarella and basil on a pizza Margherita are said to represent the colours of which country's flag?
Italy Legend says Neapolitan pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito served Queen Margherita of Savoy a red, white and green pizza in June 1889 to echo the Italian tricolour, and the pizza took her name. Historians note the story was mostly promoted decades later. Esposito's shop survives in Naples as Pizzeria Brandi, which displays a letter of thanks said to come from the queen's household. - Which American city is famous for deep-dish pizza baked in a high-sided pan?
Chicago Chicago deep dish is baked in a round steel pan with a tall buttery crust, cheese laid directly on the dough and chunky tomato sauce on top, so the whole thing eats more like a pie than a flatbread. Pizzeria Uno in Chicago, opened in 1943, is usually credited with popularising the deep-dish style. - Which pizza chain is known for its 'Pizza! Pizza!' catchphrase?
Little Caesars Little Caesars introduced 'Pizza! Pizza!' in 1979 to promote its offer of two pizzas for roughly the price of one pizza from a competitor, and the doubled phrase became one of the most recognisable slogans in fast food. Little Caesars was founded by Mike and Marian Ilitch in Garden City, Michigan, in 1959, and Mike Ilitch later bought the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers. - Hawaiian pizza, topped with ham and pineapple, was invented in which country?
Canada Greek-born restaurateur Sam Panopoulos first put canned pineapple and ham on a pizza in 1962 at the Satellite Restaurant in Chatham, Ontario, Canada. He named it after the Hawaiian Pineapple Company brand on the tin. Pineapple on pizza is so divisive that Iceland's president joked in 2017 that he would ban it if he could, then clarified he had no such power. - In which year did Pizza Hut launch its Stuffed Crust pizza, with a ring of mozzarella baked into the edge?
1995 Pizza Hut introduced Stuffed Crust on March 26, 1995, backed by a huge advertising campaign that told customers to eat the pizza crust first. It became one of the most copied innovations in chain pizza history. Pizza Hut also sent a vacuum-sealed, 15 cm (6 inch) pizza to the International Space Station in 2001, where cosmonaut Yuri Usachov ate it. - The first Domino's store opened in 1960 in which Michigan city?
Ypsilanti Brothers Tom and Jim Monaghan took over a small pizzeria called DomiNick's in Ypsilanti, Michigan, in 1960. The business was renamed Domino's Pizza in 1965 after an employee suggested the name. The three dots on the Domino's logo stand for the three stores the company owned in 1965, with plans to add a dot for each new store soon abandoned. - Traditional Neapolitan pizza is made with which variety of tomato?
San Marzano San Marzano plum tomatoes, grown in the volcanic soil near Mount Vesuvius, are the traditional choice for Neapolitan pizza because they are sweet, low in acid and have few seeds, which makes a smooth uncooked sauce. The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana requires a wood-fired oven at about 485°C (905°F) and a bake of only 60 to 90 seconds. - Which American city's signature pizza uses Provel cheese on a cracker-thin crust cut into squares?
St. Louis St. Louis style pizza uses Provel, a processed blend of cheddar, Swiss and provolone that melts into a gooey layer, on an unleavened crust. It is cut into small squares rather than wedges, a pattern known as the tavern cut. Provel is rarely sold outside the St. Louis area, and the local chain Imo's Pizza has served the style since 1964. - Detroit-style pizza was originally baked in which kind of pan?
Automotive parts trays Buddy's Rendezvous in Detroit created the style in 1946 using rectangular blue steel pans that local automotive suppliers made as drip trays and parts holders. The pans give the thick crust its crisp, caramelised cheese edges. Detroit style is finished with Wisconsin brick cheese spread to the edges and tomato sauce ladled on top in stripes, which is why some call it a red top. - Papa John's founder John Schnatter sold his first pizzas in 1984 from a converted broom closet in his father's tavern in which state?
Indiana Schnatter installed a pizza oven in a broom closet at Mick's Lounge, his father's tavern in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and sold pizzas to the bar's customers. He opened the first Papa John's restaurant next door the following year. The company is now headquartered just across the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky, and uses the slogan Better Ingredients. Better Pizza. - A traditional Neapolitan pizza marinara is notable for not containing which ingredient?
Cheese Pizza marinara is topped with tomato, garlic, oregano and extra virgin olive oil and no cheese at all. Despite the name it contains no seafood: it was supposedly a cheap meal that sailors' families could prepare from stored ingredients. The marinara and the Margherita are the only two pizzas recognised as true Neapolitan pizza under the strictest tradition. - Locals in New Haven, Connecticut, use which name for their thin, coal-fired pizza?
Apizza New Haven pizza is called apizza, pronounced roughly ah-beets, from the Neapolitan dialect phrase for the pizza. The style began at Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in 1925 and is known for its charred, chewy crust. Pepe's is credited with inventing the white clam pie, topped with fresh littleneck clams, garlic, oregano and grated cheese but no tomato sauce. - In which year did UNESCO add the art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo to its list of intangible cultural heritage?
2017 UNESCO inscribed the art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo in December 2017, recognising the craft of hand-stretching dough and baking it in a wood-fired oven, along with the songs and gestures that go with it in Naples. The successful bid was backed by a petition of around two million signatures gathered in Italy and abroad. - On May 22, 2010, programmer Laszlo Hanyecz paid how many bitcoins for two Papa John's pizzas?
10,000 Hanyecz offered 10,000 bitcoins on an online forum to anyone who would order him two pizzas, and a 19-year-old in California accepted. The coins were worth around 41 dollars at the time, and the date is now celebrated as Bitcoin Pizza Day. The transaction is widely regarded as the first documented purchase of physical goods with bitcoin. - The earliest known written use of the word pizza, from 997 AD, comes from which Italian town?
Gaeta A Latin document from Gaeta, a port town between Rome and Naples, records in 997 AD that a tenant owed the local bishop twelve pizzas every Christmas and Easter. The word then spread through other parts of southern Italy. Modern pizza with tomato only became possible after tomatoes arrived from the Americas and were accepted as food in Naples during the 18th century.
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