Freeze-out, Hadronization and Statistical Model

The comparison of the statistical hadronization model with experimental data and lattice QCD results is not always straightforward. Indeed, the interpretation of the phi meson production, of the proton to pion multiplicity ratio at LHC and the agreement of the freeze-out curve with the lattice critical line in the T - mu B plane, require further analyses. Moreover the dynamics of the hadronization has to be compatible with: 1) the statitical behavior also observed in elementary high energy collisions; 2) a universal hadronization temperature for all high energy collisions; 3) the freeze-out criteria. In these lecture notes the SHM is recalled and some explanations of the puzzling aspects of its comparison with data are discussed.