# Is This Some Weird British Thing about Pizza? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 26, 2019, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114 "2019-06-26T17:40:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/82 "2019-06-29T12:53:13Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > It’s like buttering a donut. Uhm, no it isn’t. > **[11 Proven Benefits of Olive Oil](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-benefits-of-olive-oil#section4)** > > Olive oil is the natural oil obtained from olives, the fruit of the olive tree. Here are 11 health benefits of olive oil, that are supported by science. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/83 "2019-06-29T12:56:31Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I love my heart? Deep-dish won’t damage your heart any more than your standard flat pizza. Considering the volume of tomato sauce they contain, I’d say even less so. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/84 "2019-06-29T12:58:26Z")
Can we now conclude that no, this is **not** Some Weird British Thing about Pizza? ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/85 "2019-06-29T13:24:10Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > Can we now conclude that no, this is **not** Some Weird British Thing about Pizza? Hopefully. It’s something I’m sure some people do but it’s definitely not the norm. There seem to be a lot of threads lately where people see one person do something slightly strange in a British TV show and assume it applies to all of the UK. Are there more UK reality shows being shown in the US or something? ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/86 "2019-06-29T14:30:31Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Deep-dish won’t damage your heart any more than your standard flat pizza. Considering the volume of tomato sauce they contain, I’d say even less so. If “deep dish” style encourages you to eat more then it will be more damaging. I think the size of USA pizza portions in general is unhealthy. A thin, Neopolitan-style with minimal topping and plenty of olive oil, eaten in moderation seems by far a healthier option. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/87 "2019-06-29T15:48:29Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > If “deep dish” style encourages you to eat more then it will be more damaging. > > I think the size of USA pizza portions in general is unhealthy. A thin, Neopolitan-style with minimal topping and plenty of olive oil, eaten in moderation seems by far a healthier option. Don’t know about you, but I eat only until I’m full. Anything left over I put in the fridge for later. Thin, minimal anything served with olive oil and eaten in moderation is pretty much healthier in general. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/88 "2019-06-29T19:49:53Z")
Olive oil is certainly better than most other dietary fats, and it probably does have benefits when eaten in moderation. And fat in general is no problem when eaten in moderation. The problem is just that our appetites evolved in a time when fat was scarce enough that “too much fat” was almost impossible, and so, when you put those appetites in a context where unlimited fat is available, we tend not to eat it in moderation. Same story for sugar and salt. Brussels sprouts would be bad for you if you ate too many of them, too, but nobody needs to be told to eat Brussels sprouts only in moderation. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/89 "2019-06-29T19:50:08Z")
Olive oil is certainly better than most other dietary fats, and it probably does have benefits when eaten in moderation. And fat in general is no problem when eaten in moderation. The problem is just that our appetites evolved in a time when fat was scarce enough that “too much fat” was almost impossible, and so, when you put those appetites in a context where unlimited fat is available, we tend not to eat it in moderation. Same story for sugar and salt. Brussels sprouts would be bad for you if you ate too many of them, too, but nobody needs to be told to eat Brussels sprouts only in moderation. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/90 "2019-06-29T21:32:40Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Don’t know about you, but I eat only until I’m full. “me” or “you” aren’t the issue. There is evidence enough out there to suggest that we are not well adapted to moderating our intake and having larger portions of more calorific food is going to cause problems in enough cases for it to be concerning. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/91 "2019-06-29T21:37:21Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > “me” or “you” aren’t the issue. There is evidence enough out there to suggest that we are not well adapted to moderating our intake and having larger portions of more calorific food is going to cause problems in enough cases for it to be concerning. Natural selection in action. Death is nature’s way of showing that gluttony is bad. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/92 "2019-06-30T06:43:14Z")
As a Brit, I find the idea of Americans complaining about British pizza quite amusing. Pizza in Britain is generally far closer to actual Italian pizza than the thick doughy (but admittedly also tasty) monstrosities you tend to get in the US. As for the oil, it was probably chilli oil, not plain olive oil. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/93 "2019-06-30T06:56:13Z")
Well at least it’s better than British Nachos, cucumber slices with cottage cheese. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/94 "2019-06-30T12:01:36Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Well at least it’s better than British Nachos, cucumber slices with cottage cheese. someone is definitely pulling your leg there. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/95 "2019-06-30T13:45:56Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > As a Brit, I find the idea of Americans complaining about British pizza quite amusing. Pizza in Britain is generally far closer to actual Italian pizza than the thick doughy (but admittedly also tasty) monstrosities you tend to get in the US. That’s going to depend on the area a lot. I don’t find New York or Chicago/Midwestern thin styles to be doughy at all (in fact, many of the cracker crusts here in the Midwest or Upper Midwest area are thinner than Neapolitan pies, as they are run through a dough sheeter.) I don’t even find a standard Domino’s pizza doughy. But we definitely do also have thicker styles like pan pizzas and the like. Those are closer to the al taglio or Sicilian styles you’d get in Italy. It’s not all thin Neapolitan pies in Italy. The main difference for me in American pies is how much sauce, cheese, and toppings are used here. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/96 "2019-06-30T13:47:02Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > someone is definitely pulling your leg there. yeah, that would be Flanders-style nachos. > **[Nachos Flanders Style - Cartoon Cuisine](https://www.cartooncuisine.com/the-simpsons/nachos-flanders-style/)** > > I actually like cucumber and cottage cheese, separately. So I figured that Nachos Flanders Style would be deliddlyicious. I was wrong. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/97 "2019-06-30T13:55:18Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > As a Brit, I find the idea of Americans complaining about British pizza quite amusing. Pizza in Britain is generally far closer to actual Italian pizza than the thick doughy (but admittedly also tasty) monstrosities you tend to get in the US. I once had pizza at a place off Leicester Square (in London). It was the same as standard American pizza, except it had weird toppings like fresh-out-of-the-tin tuna and niblets of what was probably once frozen corn (the yellow stuff that grows on ears). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/98 "2019-06-30T14:04:23Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I once had pizza at a place off Leicester Square (in London). It was the same as standard American pizza, except it had weird toppings like fresh-out-of-the-tin tuna and niblets of what was probably once frozen corn (the yellow stuff that grows on ears). Yeah, there’s this weird quirk I’ve seen in various parts of Europe (and, yes, I know Europe is a big place, yaddayaddayadda, so if your local country doesn’t do it, I understand), where corn will be put on pizza, and often labeled as something like “American pizza.” (I’ve seen this mostly in Central Europe, including Germany.) Take, for example, [Dr Oetker’s BBQ pizza](https://superkeuze.nl/p/12618/dr-oetker-big-americans-pizza-bbq-chicken) from their “Big Americans” line of frozen pizzas. Or, their version of a [Supreme Pizza](https://superkeuze.nl/p/12622/dr-oetker-big-americans-pizza-supreme), which also includes corn niblets in it as well. (Yes, those are frozen pizzas, but I’ve seen the same thing at some sit-down restaurants.) Now, I understand associating corn with America, but it’s always struck me as odd, as I’ve never seen corn anywhere on a pizza in America and 99.9% of us would find that weird, I would think. (I imagine some fancy-pants place somewhere has corn, but it is a really odd topping for us.) ETA: [Here’s another one](https://pizzahut.hu/menu/preview/delivery#category/pizza). This is a Hungarian Pizza Hut menu. The “Texas” pizza is grilled chicken, red onions, corn, mozzarella, BBQ sauce. Whence the corn? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/99 "2019-06-30T14:18:54Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, there’s this weird quirk I’ve seen in various parts of Europe (and, yes, I know Europe is a big place, yaddayaddayadda, so if your local country doesn’t do it, I understand), where corn will be put on pizza, and often labeled as something like “American pizza.” (I’ve seen this mostly in Central Europe, including Germany.) Take, for example, [Dr Oetker’s BBQ pizza](https://superkeuze.nl/p/12618/dr-oetker-big-americans-pizza-bbq-chicken) from their “Big Americans” line of frozen pizzas. Or, their version of a [Supreme Pizza](https://superkeuze.nl/p/12622/dr-oetker-big-americans-pizza-supreme), which also includes corn niblets in it as well. (Yes, those are frozen pizzas, but I’ve seen the same thing at some sit-down restaurants.) Now, I understand associating corn with America, but it’s always struck me as odd, as I’ve never seen corn anywhere on a pizza in America and 99.9% of us would find that weird, I would think. (I imagine some fancy-pants place somewhere has corn, but it is a really odd topping for us.) > > ETA: [Here’s another one](https://pizzahut.hu/menu/preview/delivery#category/pizza). This is a Hungarian Pizza Hut menu. The “Texas” pizza is grilled chicken, red onions, corn, mozzarella, BBQ sauce. Whence the corn? don’t get me started on what Japan has done to pizza. Corn is the _least_ of the WTF ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/100 "2019-06-30T14:45:43Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > don’t get me started on what Japan has done to pizza. Corn is the _least_ of the WTF Oh, I don’t mind what you put on your pizza, just don’t name it after us if it has nothing to do with us. 🙂 (Of course, this happens with various foodstuffs around the world, and certainly the US is guilty of it, too. I just find it amusing and a bit head-scratching.) ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114/101 "2019-07-02T12:25:14Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I once had pizza at a place off Leicester Square (in London). It was the same as standard American pizza, except it had weird toppings like fresh-out-of-the-tin tuna and niblets of what was probably once frozen corn (the yellow stuff that grows on ears). That serves you right for eating anything from a kiosk near Leicester Square, the tourist trap capital of the Capital. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-some-weird-british-thing-about-pizza/836114.md?page=6)