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How is concrete similar to pizza?

These two ancient inventions have more in common than you might think.


 
Los hornos de mampostería han estado haciendo panes planos y pizzas durante más de 4000 años.  Imagen:  Lotus Head, Wiki Commons

We hope you enjoy this fun comparison about pizza and concrete. According to the Food Network, pizza is the most popular food in the world, with a rating of 86%. At 10 billion tons per year, concrete is the most used man-made product in the world and the second most used product on the planet, after water.


Concrete and pizza have ancient origins, perfected in Italy

Historians have long recognized that the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans ate flatbreads with toppings. But the birthplace of modern pizza is Naples, in southwestern Italy. Legend has it that when Queen Margaret visited in 1899, she fell in love with a loaf topped with soft white cheese, red tomatoes, and green basil, the three colors that represent the three colors of Italy's new flag. Queen Margaret was not only the first person to eat "modern" pizza, but also the first to deliver it.


According to a study published in 2006 by French scientist Charles Bremner, the pharaohs of ancient Egypt used concrete instead of rock to build their pyramids, confirming what chemist Joseph Davidovits first claimed in the 1970s, that the Great Pyramid of Giza was made of two types of stones: one from a quarry and one made by humans.


It is often said that Rome conquered the ancient world through both its engineers and its army. The Romans mastered the art and science of concrete ("opus caementicium"), using cement mixed with pozzolanic ash, enabling the construction of roads, imperial buildings, and even underwater infrastructure such as bridges and ports. Concrete made Rome the world's first superpower.


Concrete and pizza are perishable products that must be delivered "hot" and used immediately

Most food critics agree that pizza tastes best after a few minutes out of the oven. But for most people, the most enjoyable way to eat pizza is while watching Netflix. According to amazon.com, most pizza cooler bags have a 30-minute time limit.


In the case of concrete, according to the ASTM C-94 standard, the discharge of the concrete must be carried out within 90 minutes of mixing the water with the cement and the aggregate. Depending on the specific needs of the job, special additives can extend processability.


Every country on earth and even in space has concrete and pizza.

According to the FoodXP website, the top 5 countries in terms of pizza consumption per person in the world include Norway, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy.


In August 2021, astronauts on the International Space Station received 4 tons of supplies, including pizza-making kits and queso fresco. French astronaut Thomas Pesquet posted on Instagram: "Floating pizza night with friends, almost feels like a Saturday on Earth."


In February 2022, German astronaut Matthias Maurer became the first person to create concrete in outer space, mixing the ingredients by hand in a giant inflatable bag. The experiment is critical to understanding how concrete can be used to build space habitats.


The countries that consume the most concrete are China, India, the European Union, the United States and Brazil. Mexico ranks twelfth.


The concrete and the pizza are made with a few simple ingredients.

Pizza can be very complex, but at its core it is made up of flour, yeast, water, tomato puree, olive oil, cheese, spices, and other toppings like pepperoni. The best pizzas are made with quality ingredients grown locally and cooked fresh.


Concrete is made of cement, water, sand, gravel, and additives. The use of locally available raw materials significantly reduces costs, simplifies logistics and reduces the carbon footprint of production. Like pizza, concrete can be customized in many different variations based on color, strength, weight, and many other factors.


Concrete and pizza are made by huge industries that employ millions of people.

The global pizza industry is estimated to have an annual turnover of $160 billion. There are more than 245,000 pizzerias around the world and up to 2.9 million employees in the industry.


The global concrete industry has annual sales of approximately $950 billion. Around 7.2 million people work in the industry, producing 10 billion tons of concrete each year, of which China dominates with a 56% production market share.


Concrete and pizza are perfect when they meet in the brick oven!

Neapolitan-style pizzas are considered by many to be the best, not only because they are authentic, but also because they can only be made in a brick and concrete oven, allowing the dough and its ingredients to reach their full potential in a soft state. , fluffy and tender.


Brick ovens and pizza have been combined for thousands of years, so the next time you see a concrete truck or pizza delivery service, you'll have an interesting story to tell your friends.



If you live in the central or southern area of ​​Mexico City and are looking for a ready-mix concrete supplier, you can call us at +52 (55) 5598-8348 or contact us online today. No matter the size of your project, we have the perfect mix of ready-mix concrete for all your construction needs.