Why Is Pizza Round But The Box Is Square?

Pizzas come in different shapes and sizes all over the world. But round pizzas are the most commonly eaten pizzas almost everywhere.

Why is the pizza round?

Why is pizza round? If you've pondered this eternal question, you're not the only one. When the search term pizza is entered, Google autofill quickly forms the question and produces millions of results. Of course, not all pizzas are round. You can find square and rectangular pies all over the country, but most pizzerias, especially in New Jersey, offer round pizzas. Let's find out why. 

Even cooking and easy cutting

The round shape of most pizzas is easier to cook evenly than the angular shapes. It's also easier to divide quickly with a small number of slides using a round pizza cutter. Have you ever seen an experienced pizza chef cut a pizza? They do it so fast it will make your head spin. 

Stretching the dough

When pizza makers pull out a piece of dough, they throw it up in the air and use their hands and fists in a circular motion to elongate the shape. In nerdy and scientific terms, the centrifugal force of throwing the dough into the air in a rotational motion results in a circle. Using shapes formed by stretching the dough takes less effort than reshaping it, which means faster production. 

A round pizza in a square box

So if pizzas are round, why are boxes square? Mass production of square boxes is much cheaper than round boxes because they can be made from a single sheet of cardboard. Square boxes are also easier to store because they can be kept flat when needed.