# Salami vs Pepperoni on a pizza? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 22, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008 "2012-07-22T00:34:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/21 "2012-07-22T16:07:40Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > And salami comes in all different sizes. Standard American-style deli salami, which is relatively soft and is usually easily foldable, comes in sizes about 4"-4.5" in diameter. Italian-style salami is generally anywhere from 1.5"-3.5" diameter, and is usually a firmer product that will not fold. Same with Hungarian-style salami. Genoa salami is soft and foldable. Hard salami isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/22 "2012-07-22T16:11:19Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Genoa salami is soft and foldable. Hard salami isn’t. Depends on the brand. Sliced thin enough almost any salami will be soft and foldable. BTW: Genoa salami is a cultured product, as pepperoni should be, but domestic brands usually are not. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/23 "2012-07-23T06:40:28Z")
Every salami I’ve ever had was less spiced than pepperoni. Pepperoni is 100 times better because of this. All salamis I’ve had are bologna by comparison. ---
**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:** [July 23, 2012, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/24 "2012-07-23T07:37:01Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Genoa salami is soft and foldable. Hard salami isn’t. Both American-style Genoa salami and the generic hard salami you get in the deli case are “soft and foldable” by salami standards, in my opinion. [This is “real” Genoa salami](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genoa_salami). That’s much drier and less foldable than any hard salami I’ve seen at the deli. [This is the typical hard salami](http://artstream.ucsc.edu/art21/hellfoods/hellfoodsmarket/images/salami.jpg) I find at the grocery. That’s still pretty wet and soft. > [@](#): > > Every salami I’ve ever had was less spiced than pepperoni. Pepperoni is 100 times better because of this. All salamis I’ve had are bologna by comparison. Salami is all over the map spice-wise. I’ve had certain kinds of soppressata (a type of salami) that are significantly spicier (in terms of heat and spices) than domestic pepperonis. Yes, the average deli-case Genoa salami or hard salami is going to be significantly less spicy than the corresponding pepperoni. But salami in general can be anywhere on the map. And, don’t get me wrong, I eat the regular Hormel-type of Genoa salami. As for the cultured product aspect, all salami should be fermented. That tinge of sourness is part of what makes salami salami. You take your meat, season it, cure it, add lactic cultures (or let it naturally ferment), hang it, and let it dry. That’s a little bit simplified, but not by much. The fermentation process, which drops the pH of the meat, lends salami its characteristic slight sourness, as well as keeps the meat from spoiling, hence aiding in its preservation qualities. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/25 "2012-07-23T07:54:00Z")
Yeah, there is a chacuterie near my house that has an amazing range of salamis, each month it is something different and some of them are spicier than typical pepperoni. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2012, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/26 "2012-07-31T01:34:44Z")
I don’t think salami on pizza would be gross or anything, but I don’t think it would be nearly as good as pepperoni. ---
**Author:** ![DonLogan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@DonLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonLogan)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/27 "2012-08-01T20:46:28Z")
Either way, run it under the broiler long enough to burn the edges a little. Then it tastes like salami/pepperoni AND bacon at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/28 "2012-08-01T20:58:03Z")
Or? ---
**Author:** ![foodie\_girlie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/898d66/32.png) [@foodie\_girlie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foodie_girlie)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/29 "2013-03-29T23:26:15Z")
I had my first salami pizza today and fell in love. We just haven’t had much exposure to deli meats here in the Deep South. I always had pepperoni but found it too salty and peppery if too much was added to the pizza. I tried Salami with trepidation. But it was love at first bite. You get the salt and cured meat yummyness you expect from deli meat…but it was more subtle. An unexpected bonus was the pleasant “chew n melt away” texture. Pepperoni is usually broiled crispy but the salami was cooked long enough just to melt away nicely when chewed. I seriously doubt I will ever be able to enjoy pepperoni pizza again after this. I’m going to search for salami at the market now for sandwichs as well ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/30 "2013-03-30T00:16:32Z")
In Quebec, pepperoni pizza is often served with something that is basically pepperoni-flavored baloney. You can find real pepperoni in Montreal, but it isn’t common in the smaller towns. ---
**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:** [March 30, 2013, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/31 "2013-03-30T00:41:26Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Antigen** : > > I don’t think I’ve ever had salami on a pizza. I’ll have to give that a shot. Neither have I, and I’m really not sure why. It seems like a natural enough thing to put on a pizza, and it’d probably be good. Maybe not as good as pepperoni, but you wouldn’t think it’d be as rare as it is. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/32 "2013-03-30T00:53:18Z")
Either is good, but with pineapple, please. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/33 "2013-03-30T04:10:42Z")
Pizza isn’t pizza without pepperoni. Everything else is “put some of that on it, too.” ---
**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:** [March 30, 2013, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/34 "2013-03-30T05:31:48Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > Pizza isn’t pizza without pepperoni. Everything else is “put some of that on it, too.” Oddly enough, as much as I love pizza, I don’t much care for pepperoni. Maybe it’s the Chicagoan in me. I insist on little bits of Italian sausage, instead, which tends to be the default meat topping around here. ---
**Author:** ![\_Olive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/4af34b/32.png) [@\_Olive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Olive)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/35 "2013-03-30T06:59:49Z")
Sausage over salami over peperoni. I haven’t had a pizza for years. I am looking forward to eating one next time I go to the east coast. ---
**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:** [March 30, 2013, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/36 "2013-03-30T15:12:53Z")
And any of those three over just plain unseasoned ground beef. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/37 "2013-03-30T19:49:08Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And any of those three over just plain unseasoned ground beef. That should be a shooting-squad offense. I don’t think there is anything that pisses me off in a restaurant as much as a menu advertising “sausage” but then the pizza shows up with nasty dried-out hamburger clods. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/38 "2013-03-30T20:00:22Z")
Bacon. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/39 "2013-03-30T20:21:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Neither have I, and I’m really not sure why. Pizza guys often try to hide it. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008/40 "2013-03-30T21:05:07Z")
Pepperoni. Salami is OK as a change of pace once in a while, but generally pepperoni. You can’t have both because my wife won’t let you because it makes the pizza too greasy. Unless she’s not there, in which case go ahead. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salami-vs-pepperoni-on-a-pizza/629008.md?page=1)