Although born in Italy, pizza has become a universal favorite. It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t enjoy a good slice of pie once in a while. Pizza is so loved that you don’t have to go to a restaurant to get it. You can buy it frozen, have it delivered, and even stores, like Costco, serve pizza.
While there is a shared love for pizza across the world, the way it’s enjoyed, including the toppings, differs greatly. Here are some of the most interesting, unique, and strange ways people enjoy pizza.
- In the backyard
Pizza parlors are great, but there’s no better way to enjoy a homemade pizza than with friends in the backyard. This is typically an American thing, but you’ll find people with outdoor pizza ovens all over the world. There are so many benefits to cooking your pizza outside, starting with the irresistible aroma. It’s a great way to entertain guests and keep them happy before the food is ready.
While wood-fired pizza ovens are the most popular (and traditional), you can find units that run on gas or electricity, and some use dual fuel sources. This is great when you’re barred from burning wood.
Unfortunately, due to pollution, some towns have banned wood-burning pizza ovens in restaurants – even in Italy, where you might think tradition would be protected at all costs. If you can’t burn wood in your backyard, you can still make a good pizza with a gas or electric stove. Although, you’ll struggle to make a Neapolitan pizza since you can only make this masterpiece in a wood-fired oven.
- With anchovies, caramelized onions, and olives
Pissaladière is the ultimate French pizza. This pizza is a classic French meal, but it came from Italy and was brought to France during the annex of Nice. It’s made from flatbread, has a crispy crust, and is topped with Niçoise olives, caramelized onions, and anchovies. If you’re making this pizza yourself and can’t get your hands on authentic Niçoise olives, you can substitute with Kalamata olives instead.
You have to like salty flavors to enjoy this one, but if you do, it’s heaven on your plate. Of course, being French, Pissaladière goes great with white wine.
- Korean cheesecake and pizza
If you find yourself in Korea, you’ll discover an interesting sandwich pizza made with shrimp, bell peppers, onions, and a cheesecake filling in the middle. Whoever thought of combining cheesecake with pizza was a genius. It sounds odd, but many people swear it’s delicious. Apparently, it’s so popular that Domino’s Pizza added this to their menu in Korea.
- With quail eggs
First, we saw restaurants make hamburgers with eggs, and now it’s popular to have pizza with a side of eggs. At least in Dublin, where you can enjoy a pizza pie topped with roasted garlic, red onions, paprika, grainy mustard, artichokes, and a side of quail eggs.
- With squid ink in place of tomato sauce
Squid ink and shrimp is a popular Japanese pizza designed to create a salty, yet sweet umami taste. You have to be brave to eat a pizza made with squid ink, considering it will stain your skin for a while. However, plenty of people enjoy this dish.
- Banana curry pizza
This pizza comes from Sweden and is pretty simple with curried banana and pineapple. When put to the test by Americans, it seems to be tolerated, but not celebrated. You probably need to grow up eating it to truly it. If you’re not a fan of warm pineapple, you may want to sit this one out.
- Full English breakfast
The English are known to put beans and sausages on everything from an empty plate to fresh made toast. Some people also put beans and sausage on pizza. The Full English breakfast pizza is topped with fried eggs, sausage, rashers, pudding, and beans.
- With blueberries and ranch dressing
Another popular pizza from Korea is the blueberry pizza made with ranch dressing. The combination of creamy and sweet just might work, although it probably won’t beat a traditional Italian pizza in a contest.
- Japanese Okonomiyaki
A spin on traditional pizza, the Okonomiyaki is made with a Worcestershire-style sauce rather than tomato, and topped with squid, prawns, pork, cabbage, eel, and noodles.
- Kangaroo pizza
In Australia, kangaroo is eaten as frequently as cow in the states. It’s common to find pizza topped with standard things like bacon, cheese, and prawns. However, they also add kangaroo and emu to their pizza pies.
