Have a Slice of Volcanic Pizza Baked At 1,800 Degrees Fahrenheit

If you're on the lookout for a taste of something different, then head to the foot of the Pacaya volcano in Guatemala. There, you'll find 34-year-old David Garcia selling slices of volcanic pizza that have been cooked over the piping hot lava rocks of the volcano. 

Calling his local delicacies "Pizza Pacaya," Garcia cooks his pizzas on metal platters that can withstand searing temperatures as high as 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit (1,000 degrees Celcius), reports the AFP. Apt for the smoldering hot lava rocks that have erupted from the volcano. 

Garcia, an accountant by trade, used the fact that the Pacaya volcano was newly erupting in early 2021 to boost his volcanic cooking trade, sharing updates and enticing people to try his tasty delights via his Instagram account. 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Pizza Pacaya de David Garcia (@pizzapacayadedavid)

This isn't his first stint in the pizza-cooking industry, which kick-started back in 2013. At the time, Garcia was selling pizzas out of small caverns on the mountainside, but it wasn't until he started his recent daredevil cooking antics that his pizzas garnered more attention.

To stay safe, Garcia wears protective gear and dons army-style boots to keep himself from flaring up into flames as he places his pizzas on the hot lava rocks.

It certainly makes for a great snack, and a memorable dining experience, for those who are looking for a break as they climb the Pacaya volcano.

How safe is it to get close to lava?

However cool this venture may sound, precautions have to be heeded when getting so close to a lava flow. Even though it sounds like Garcia wears protective gear, those visiting the volcano and his pizza spot, may not be. 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Pizza Pacaya de David Garcia (@pizzapacayadedavid)

When in close proximity to such a hot source it's important to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water, as the University of Hawai'i in Hilo's (UH Hilo) Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes states. On top of that, UH Hilo explains that volcanic gases are highly dangerous, and inhaling too many can cause problems, and as it's hard to know which sections of lava are safe to walk across, it's best to hike with an expert.

As Volcano Planet stated, volcanoes are "serious nature," with many hazards, and need to be approached with caution. 

With all that said and done, for the volcano-climbing daredevils out there, maybe one of Garcia's Pacaya pizzas would wash down nicely with either a glass of Atomik vodka from Chernobyl's Exclusion Zone, or a glass of space-aged Pétrus 2000 wine that just came back from a stint on the International Space Station. Just to keep things interesting.