Though the Pizza originated in Naples, in Italy in the late 1700s, over 5 billion pizzas are consumed worldwide everyday – around 350 slices per second only in the US! So much is the love for pizza that it has become among the top 5 popular food / snack item in over 100 countries in today’s times. From working lunches in office board rooms to being a great companion while binge watching OTT platforms, the “Pizza” consumption has grown over 100x in India in the past 15 years. Dominos, Pizza Hut, International and Regional chains including Oyyalo Pizza (from Hatsun foods) dot the urban and semi-urban landscape in India with over 2,000 plus outlets spread from the the country’s top airports all the way to Tier 3 towns including tourist hotspots. To celebrate the love for Pizza, Google celebrated the day with it’s customarty Doodle and an interesting DIY Pizza Game.
Today’s interactive Doodle celebrates one of the world’s most popular dishes—pizza! On this day in 2017, the culinary art of Neapolitan “Pizzaiuolo” was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This pizza puzzle game features a few of the most beloved pizza toppings from all over the world and challenges you to slice based on the type of pizza ordered. But keep a close eye on the requested toppings and number of slices—the more accurate the order, the more stars you earn!
Back in the 2000s, international brands Dominos and Pizza Hut launched several toppings with Indian flavours including Paneer and Indian-styled Chicken flavours. Though 98% of Indians consumer non-vegetarian cuisine, the chain restaurants’s sales have a 60:40 split – the majority of customers opting for vegetarian fare, perhaps due to cost constraints as well as the richness of the food on the plate. While Dominos has always focussed on “Delivery” at doorstep, Pizza Hut preferred the customary Dine-In model, attracting scores of food lovers to their precincts which are rich in decor comparatively and offer an international style fine-dine experience including stainless steel crockery, chinaware plates and aerated beverages served in glasses while Dominos serves Pizzas in corrugated cardboard boxes for deliveries as well as in-store dining. Price wise, Dominos is a favourite for the Great Indian middle class while PH enjoys a completely different consumer segment for the variety it offers.
Due to the pandemic induced lockdowns, Pizzas have been among the top preferred food items ordered on delivery apps such as Swiggy and Zomato, thanks to EFH and EFH (Education). Go play the game on Google’s page. Click here.
