14 Weird Pizza Toppings Around the World
Although 93 percent of Americans have at least one pizza slice every month, the United States isn’t the only country with a love of pizza.
Over 5 billion pizzas are sold worldwide each year, and over 350 slices of pizza are eaten every second. No wonder bedspreads devoted to pepperoni and portable pizza pouches for hanging a cheesy slice around your neck (they’re only $8, people) exist.
What’s on that pizza? (Photo: Thinkstock)
Although the U.S. is quite passionate about pizza, our toppings are pretty tame compared with the rest of the world. Cheese, pepperoni, and sausage aren’t too out of the ordinary when compared with such choices as smoked reindeer and haggis. Read on to discover 14 of the weirdest pizza toppings around the world — then mark them on your bucket list to try.
Banana Curry Pizza (Sweden)
Photo Modified: Flickr / Sebastian Bassi / CC BY 4.0
You’ll find banana curry pizza under the “Ordinary” or “Classic” sections of the menu in Sweden. It’s not too different from a Hawaiian in that it pairs ham with a sweet fruit, but the curry powder is admittedly unique. Most pizza places in Stockholm will serve it, but people flock to sample it at Formaggio Pizzeria.
Related: TripAdvisor: Best Pizza Parlors in the U.S.
Bronx Pastrami Pie (United States)
Photo: Rose City Pizza
Why didn’t anybody think of this in New York? Rose City Pizza in Rosemead, Calif., simply swaps rye bread for pizza dough and adds mozzarella to the classic pie.
Canned Tuna (Germany)
Photo Modified: Flickr / Quinn Dombrowski / CC BY-SA 4.0
In Germany, canned tuna is a popular pizza topping, and it’s often mixed with onions, olives, or other vegetables.
Coconut (Costa Rica)
Photo Modified: Flickr / Alexandra Richmond / CC BY-SA 4.0
Coconut is often employed as a topping for sweets and desserts in the United States, but in Costa Rica, it’s a favorite pizza topping – along with shrimp.
Cone Crust Pizza (United Arab Emirates)
Photo: Pizza Hut
This interesting-looking pizza has a crust that you can easily pluck — perhaps too easily. Each “cone” of the Cone Crust Pizza comes stuffed with honey mustard chicken or cream cheese. Since it seems like Pizza Hut Middle East has (thankfully) discontinued this item, you might as well visit the critically acclaimed Rossovivo in Dubai instead.
Full English Breakfast Pizza (United Kingdom)
Photo Modified: Flickr / David Blaikie / CC BY 4.0
This is not too far a stretch from the meat lovers slice we have in the United States, but add black pudding (blood sausage), mushrooms, and baked beans to the regular sausage and bacon. While the deceptively titled American Pizza is a late night favorite in Liverpool, make no mistake – this place is as British as the Beatles.
Grand Prix Cookie Crust Pizza (South Korea)
South Korean chain Mr. Pizza has quite the array of unusual pizza toppings, but the Grand Prix Cookie Crust tops them all (no pun intended). This shrimp and sweet potato pizza comes with a cookie dough-stuffed crust and blueberry dipping sauce on the side.
Green Peas (Brazil)
Photo Modified: Flickr / Guilherme Corenzan / CC BY-SA 4.0
Green peas are a very popular vegetable in Brazil, and they often appear on pizzas, along with raisins, carrots, and quail eggs.
Haggis Pizza (United Kingdom)
Courtesy: The Yard Sale Pizza
Yard Sale Pizza in London serves perfectly normal and delicious fior-di-latte pizzas, except for on Burns Night. That’s when they join forces with Deeney’s and bring out the haggis and add cavolo nero, black chile jam, and mozzarella to keep it company. If you’re not in London during Burns Night, fear not: Frozen varieties are available at most British supermarkets.
Kangaroo Pizza (Australia)
The Australian Heritage Hotel in Sydney offers pizzas named Pepper Kangaroo, BBQ Emu, and Saltwater Crocodile. Apparently, kangaroo tastes like a cross between buffalo meat and venison.
Mayo Jaga (Japan)
This popular type of Japanese pizza is topped with potatoes and hot mayonnaise. At Domino’s in Japan, mayo jaga is decorated with mayonnaise in a pretty lattice design, so don’t knock it till you try it.
Mockba Pizza (Russia)
Courtesy: Correa’s
Forget quattro formaggi. The Mockba Pizza is a four-fish pizza, with sardines, tuna, mackerel, and salmon, garnished with onions and herbs (and roe, sometimes) — and it’s served cold. This pizza is named after the capital — “Mockba” is the Russian word for Moscow — so head over to Correa’s, a Muscovite favorite.
Pizza Berlusconi (Finland)
Photo Modified: Flickr / Lauri Rantala / CC BY 4.0
Named after the Italian leader who grumbled that he had to “endure” the Finnish delicacy of smoked reindeer, Pizza Berlusconi is made with smoked reindeer, chanterelles, and onions. The Finnish chain Kotipizza does it best, and it has branches as far afield as Suzhou, China.
Pizza Corner (India)
Photo Modified: Flickr / Paul Branzburg / CC BY-SA 4.0
Before Domino’s and Pizza Hut landed in India, Pizza Corner ruled the market. While it’s still running, though feebly, the pizza toppings under the “Indian” section of its menu are outrageous: chicken chettinad, jugalbandi (paneer), kohlapuri, chicken tikka, and a combination of all of these.
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