What on earth could possibly be better than pizza? How about pizza that lasts for years.
According to the New York Daily News, the U.S. military is working to develop pizza that remains fresh for three years. The Daily News adds that soldiers in combat zones and other areas where kitchens can't be set up have been requesting pizza since individual rations replaced canned food in 1981.
Scientists at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center in Massachusetts are reportedly close to developing a recipe where refrigeration isn't necessary.
Despite soldier's requests, the process has been slowed because the moisture found in key ingredients like tomato sauce, dough and cheese yielded soggy, moldy results. Research in recent years has incorporated humectants (sugar, syrups and salt) to keep the water from getting into the dough.
The biggest question here involves taste. Many soldiers still have yet to experience the pizza because it's still in the development phase, but lab boss Jill Bates said it's similar to a pan pizza, nothing that "it’s not hot when you eat it. It’s room temperature."
One of the prototype batches is pepperoni, and turkey pepperoni will be available for soldiers who do not eat pork. No one should be denied the deliciousness of pizza.
[via New York Daily News]
