Connecticut legislators heard arguments Friday on whether pizza should be designated as the state’s official food.

Rep. Patricia A. Dillon, of New Haven, says the bill could promote small businesses and the state’s pizza tourism.

It would also honor the state’s strong pizza-eating and pizza-making traditions.

“This measure…I believe really celebrates an essential part of our culture as we move forward in the digital economy,” Dillon says. “We should not forget the past that bonds us and the quality of our communities.”

The creator of the pizza bill, Colin Caplan, says Connecticut has some of the oldest pizzerias in the United States and the most pizzerias per capita in the country.