As you pass a pizzeria, the sweet smell of cheese and dough being cooked stirs your senses. Impossible to resist, you want to eat pizza! According to a study, several factors explain why pizza is one of the most addicting dishes: composition, texture, but also social ties, you will see that nothing is left to chance.
Why is pizza such an addicting dish?
Few people are reluctant to eat pizza, it is a fact, but it would not only be due to its taste. The subtle combination of ingredients combined with its color, texture, smell and even the image that each of us has of this popular dish, would greatly influence our addiction to pizza. A study even shows that this symbol of Italian gastronomy is indeed the most addicting dish in the world!
Compulsive behavior
Several American researchers, in nutrition and in psychology, wondered what could be the most addicting dish. To do this, they conducted a study with the aim of establishing the link between addiction behaviors to certain foods, their composition and the surrounding factors. And the dish most often associated with these addictive behaviors is pizza.
It is very interesting that most pizza eaters are ready to eat any pizza, and not just the ones from the best pizzerias. We would therefore deduce that quality is not essential and that it is indeed a compulsive behavior, which pushes us to devour any pizza that comes along. But it is not that simple.
The fact that pizzas are a combination of fat, salt and sugar, triggers a secretion of joy in our brain. Thus, we associate this dish with pleasure, which can cause a frequent craving for pizza.
A perfect mix of flavors and texture
The ingredients that make up a pizza are made to combine perfectly, and to give whoever eats them an intense flavor. A lot of people like to nibble on a piece of cheese with a piece of bread, right? So melt this food duo with a good tomato sauce, and you have a dish that will be hard to resist.
If we dive deeper into the composition of the pizza, we realize that the marriage of ingredients is even more subtle than it seems. The fermented dough combined with a cheese that it is too (like mozzarella) gives a slightly acidic taste to the whole, and it is enough to couple this mixture with a sweeter flavor (like caramelized tomato, onions, good herbs…) to delight any palate.
Finally, if the smell that emanates from such a pizza will make enthusiasts salivate, know that the color of the dish also influences your desire. The deeper the red of the sauce, the more you’ll want to taste it. Probably because it looks like pizza the way you dream it.
Pizza, the ally of good times
Pizza is part of our daily life and its representation is associated with tastes, colors, but also specific moments. And if you think about it a little, it is very often present during the nicest moments of your existence.
During a cocooning evening with the family, an unexpected dinner with friends, a football night or a birthday party, there is a good chance of finding pizza. This social aspect that links pizza and good times is also a determining factor in the addiction to this food. When you want to eat something good, practical and convivial, this is obviously the best choice!
Eating a pizza is therefore not that trivial, since it is a process that combines an appreciation of the senses (smells, tastes, texture, etc.) with a feeling of social pleasure. The next time you salivate over pizza, tell yourself it’s your mind that guides you and you can’t fight!