This Is Why You’re Addicted To Pizza

It's the perfect culinary combo, experts say.

pizza
Pizza is addicting. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Pizza is the food most associated with symptoms of addictions. The cheesy, doughy slices top the Yale Food Addiction Scale list, which is no surprise to anyone who has smelled pizza let alone tasted a perfect pie.

So what makes the fan fave food so habit-forming? It’s the combination of salt, sugar, and fat. Herbert Stone, a sensory scientist with 50 years of experience, has worked with some of the top pizza companies to create the perfect slice. “That combination, when heated, has enormous appeal,” he said. “It’s addictive because there is nothing offensive about it. There is nothing not to like. No matter what the pizza style is, if you have a pizza in the oven, that pizza will smell great. And it will make you hungry,” he told CNN

Gail Vance Civille, founder and president of Sensory Spectrum, a consulting firm that works with companies to learn how sensory cues can be used to drive production perception by consumers, describes the perfect pizza eating experience. “You have the crispiness of the crust, the chewiness of the cheese and the moistness of the sauce… and if made properly, one doesn’t overpower the other. Everything disappears in the mouth at the same time and comes together in a unified way.”

A variety of pizza crusts also gives pizza lovers one more thing to obsess about — from deep dish Chicago style to New York City pizza, there’s a crust for everyone! Just remember: everything in moderation.

 

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