Pizza may have roots in Italy, but it is now a global phenomenon.
That international appeal has led to some creative local flair.
But not everyone thinks creativity is the secret to a great pie.
Redditor mrlogman asked:
“What’s the weirdest pizza topping you’ve heard of or tried?”
C’est Mangnifique
“I was in france and had a pizza with my dad that was Loaded with toppings.. three fried eggs were on the list. there was bacon and really good cheese and sausage and stuff. Very tasty.” – dirkachbar
A Teen’s Take
“I use to be a pizza chef in my late teens at my parents pizzeria.”
“I once made a chocolate calzone (without cheese), it was sickly/revolting.” – anon
When In Cambodia
“spiders and marijuana, not together but both in Cambodia.” – anon
Ruff To Swallow
“dog. I’m serious. I didn’t try it, but I have had zebra tacos.” – new_bedlam
Pineapple Still Raises Questions
“I used to think the same thing. Pineapple and canadian bacon/bacon on a pizza would freak me out. It’s a fruit, I would say.”
“Then, one fateful day, I tried it. Seriously, it’s delicious. The slightly sweet tang coupled with the melted cheese and the salty canadian bacon/bacon, maybe throw in some green peppers for effect…”
“I’m going to order one now. Seriously, try it. You won’t be disappointed.” – anon
A Little Garnish Goes A Long Way
“If you do like pineapple on pizza, try pineapple, ham, mint and feta cheese (Don’t use feta instead of mozzarella, just use the feta as a topping).”
“The mint can be cooked into the pizza or the leaves can be just put on the top as a garnish.” – anon
Heart Of The Platter
“Marinated artichoke heart seemed to be big in Ceuta, Spain.” – Zooph
Everything But The Kitchen Sink
“I had an ‘everything’ pizza in Italy with all sorts of vegetables and a cooked egg on top. They weren’t the normal vegetables you’d expect in the States.”
“Also, I once ate a giant pizza in Italy with 4 sections, 1 with arucola on it. It was pretty weird.”
“-edit- It’s called Capricciosa (with everything- the giant pizza was a specialty).” – poopsix
Restaurant Lab
“I work at a pizza place and sometimes we experiment. Some of the better ones include a PB&J pizza, breakfast pizza (bacon, eggs, cheese, ham, peppers), BLT (bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo, etc.)”
“On our menu we offer a cheeseburger pizza that uses mustard as the sauce with beef, mozzarella, cheddar, bacon, onions and pickles. We also have a spicy chicken pizza that has a ranch base instead of pizza sauce. Good stuff. Also, try using a spicy tomato sauce instead of a sweet one for a change.”
“EDIT: Also forgot to mention the Taco pizza (taco meat, pizza sauce, topped with lettuce, cheddar and tomato.) We also have a BBQ Chicken pizza (base is BBQ sauce, topped with mozzerella, diced seasoned chicken, cheddar, red onions and optional bacon.)” – analbumcover
Fruity Delight
“When I worked at a pizza place, a guy brought in a carton of blueberries and ordered a cheese pizza. When it came, he put the blueberries on top and ate it. When he was done, there was a single blueberry left alone on the plate.” – yourpopquizkid
Pharma-Giano
“Honestly? I believe it was either Vicodin or Ritalin.”
“My hubby and I along with his brother and a friend of ours had our pill stage, usually simply consuming or snorting, a few years back. One night, after baking a pizza and serenading it (not joking), they got the bright idea of placing it on our pizza as a topping.”
“I wasn’t fond of the idea b/c I don’t want my pizza tasting like pills and it isn’t the most efficient way to consume pills to get high, but. . . I was out numbered.”
“It was disgusting, of course. That’s all I remember from that night.” – anon
Moose Meat
“People always look at me weird when I say “Roast Beef”. But, I promise… Get some lean, thinly sliced (lunch meat grade) roast beef… Heaven.” – Originate
“Our local joint has this great Mr. Pestato pizza that has pesto, slices of potato and onions. It is so weird but so delicious!”
“And I remember that when I was in Guadalajara, they had ketchup packets at the local Dominos because people like to put it on pizza there. ew”– obizuth
That’s Just Bananas
“Banana Pizza is an amazing dessert. Toppings: bananas, mozzarella, sugar, and cinnamon.” – brandar
This Spuds For You
“I really like pierogi pizza!”
“Pizza with a layer of sauteed potatoes, then a layer of sour cream and topped with cheddar cheese, bacon bits and green onions. We have it at Boston Pizza in Canada.” – flashtastic
“Pickles or Broccoli”
“and yes I made them. I’ve got a knack for cooking and can make quite a few things, but back in my freshman year of college, when I first discovered that I enjoyed cooking, all I knew how to make was pizza and so I made every variation i could think of.”
“My favorite is still buffalo chicken. mix two parts marinara sauce with one part buffalo wing sauce, and dip it in ranch or bleu cheese. Delicious.” – jeffp12
Hitting The Sweet Spot
“I have been to a fish and chip shop which sells (or used to sell) chocolate pizza: pizza base with a layer of Rolos, covered in mozzarella and topped with crushed Flake. No tomato sauce though…. The chocolate and cheese works surprisingly well.” – jln
The Sandwich Variant
“There was/is a place in Sandusky, OH that I went to when I worked at Cedar Pointe that served a peanut butter and jelly pizza that I loved. It really just worked out to peanut butter melted onto a warm crust with cold jelly slathered on top, but it was served as a pizza.” – Spazsquatch
Popular Lunch Meat
“People always look at me weird when I say ‘Roast Beef.’ But, I promise… Get some lean, thinly sliced (lunch meat grade) roast beef… Heaven.” – Originate
While major fans of traditional pizza may consider some of these toppings blasphemous, others might see the topping interpretations as a complement to the dish that became a global culinary sensation.
So don’t be quick to judge these twists on a pizza.
Who knows, you may really enjoy squid pizza, amirite?
