# What are considered acceptable pizza toppings in Italy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [January 20, 2021, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019 "2021-01-20T21:10:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Astrid1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Astrid1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astrid1)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2021, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/41 "2021-01-21T14:20:54Z")
Yeah we do ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2021, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/42 "2021-01-21T14:43:22Z")
Lol. Our better pizza places are influenced by actual Italians who immigrated here. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2021, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/43 "2021-01-21T14:44:27Z")
The anchovies on American pizzas are cured and very salty. They are not the fresh anchovies one would find in Italy. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2021, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/44 "2021-01-21T16:01:21Z")
My dad’s parents were both born in Italy (Calabria) and came to the US as children with their parents around 1910-12. When pizza became all the rage here in the 50s, they took my great-grandma out for pizza. She took one look at it and said, “this isn’t pizza”. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2021, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/45 "2021-01-21T16:26:46Z")
Yeah, I recall there being a lot of possible toppings- we were partial to the Quatro Stagioni (Four Seasons), which was basically a pizza where each of the four quadrants represented a season with the topping. But there were various sorts of cured meats- prosciutto, finocchiona salami, speck, etc… as well as different cheeses like gorgonzola, vegetables- artichokes, onions, tomatoes, etc… In fact, the best pizza I ever had was a tuna and onion pizza in a little tavern right off the Via del Corso in Rome. ---
**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:** [January 21, 2021, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/46 "2021-01-21T17:03:01Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > The anchovies on American pizzas are cured and very salty. They are not the fresh anchovies one would find in Italy. Italians use tinned/salted anchovies too. The fresh ones tend to get eaten on their own, with a drizzle of olive oil, as an antipasti ---
**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:** [January 21, 2021, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/47 "2021-01-21T17:04:59Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Lol. Our better pizza places are influenced by actual Italians who immigrated here. Not sure why the LOL, we have Italian immigrants too. How do you think Italian food swept the globe? ( I should add, when I said ‘better pizza places’, I didn’t mean ‘than yours’, I meant ‘than our bad ones’, which tend to go down the dominos route.) ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2021, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/48 "2021-01-21T17:12:03Z")
You did say that you thought the better pizzas in the UK were more influenced by Italian pizza than in the USA. The better pizza places over here and not the large chains. However, imo, because of the huge amount of immigration from southern Italy, American pizza evolved from the Neapolitan model. One criicism I have with the Italian model of cuisine is that it is extremely conservative and unwilling to allow itself to be influenced by out of the box thinking. As mentioned above, pizza is just another variation on the larger idea of the sandwich. It should be an open palette. Pineapple, garlic, chicken, cilantro and red pepper is one of my fav pizzas. But I know never to attempt to order one in Italy. ---
**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:** [January 21, 2021, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/49 "2021-01-21T17:18:17Z")
I agree with you, I don’t care what people put on their pizzas, and there’s plenty of places here that experiment ([my local](https://berthas.co.uk/) does one with miso & harissa roasted squash, kale, smoked almonds). When I say ‘italian style’ I’m really referring to the base. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2021, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/50 "2021-01-21T17:20:50Z")
Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2021, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/51 "2021-01-21T17:58:19Z")
Yes, I have some very pleasant memories of pizzas I’ve had in Sicily with a nicely fried egg on top. Don’t know why it isn’t a standard option in the UK or US; seems to go very well. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2021, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/52 "2021-01-21T20:31:17Z")
The time and temp to create a solid white and runny yolk is different than that needed to cook pizza dough. To keep the yolk from getting hard, an egg needs to be put on mid way through the baking process. That’s too big a pain in the ass for most pizza places. FWIW, I always put an over easy egg on top whenever I have leftover pizza for breakfast, ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2021, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/53 "2021-01-21T21:23:30Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The time and temp to create a solid white and runny yolk is different than that needed to cook pizza dough. To keep the yolk from getting hard, an egg needs to be put on mid way through the baking process. In Rome, we went out one evening for pizza and our Roman host asked me if I was OK with an egg on the pizza, as he wanted to order a Capricciosa (which I have subsequently learned means more or less “whatever’s available” as toppings) and it came that way at this restaurant. So, we order and because we are right next to the ovens (about 4-6 feet away) I see the pizza go into the oven, then, partway through cooking, the chef hauls the pizza out, cracks an egg on it, and shoves it back in. Our pizza was delivered to the table with a perfect sunny side up egg on top! On my own, I found that most establishments put the egg onto the pizza after it comes out of the oven, which is not, IMHO, as tasty. (one place just added chopped up hard boiled egg to the toppings- not that good) ---
**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:** [January 21, 2021, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/54 "2021-01-21T21:34:14Z")
When I was eating at a pizzeria in Venice, I saw Italians pick up individual pieces with their hands and fold them over before eating them. (The pieces, not the hands.) At least, I think they were Italians. Being dentally challenged, I always eat pizza with a knife and fork nowadays. I think the last time I shoveled pieces directly into my mouth was in 2006, when every Wednesday was pizza day at the office where I was working. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2021, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/55 "2021-01-21T22:23:29Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I saw Italians pick up individual pieces with their hands I never saw pizza served in pieces in Italy. Not saying it can’t happen, or that Italians can’t do that, just that I’ve never seen it. Also my last trip to Venice, I saw very few Italians at all. Customers were foreign tourists and many workers in the restaurants were also foreigners. Venice is like that now. It’s almost become a caricature of itself. ---
**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:** [January 21, 2021, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/56 "2021-01-21T22:26:04Z")
The pizza was served whole; it was the customers who cut it (or tore it up) into pieces. This was around Easter of 2000. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2021, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/57 "2021-01-22T05:32:46Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > It’s italian law that seafood and cheese should not mix. Again, I doubt if that is a actual law on the books. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2021, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/58 "2021-01-22T09:21:19Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > When I was eating at a pizzeria in Venice For the record, pizza in Venice is made differently than pizza pretty much everywhere else in Italy. Why? Because fire hazards are a major concern in Venice (very old buildings, no streets for rapid firefighting response, etc.), so there are rules about what kind of kitchen equipment can be used, to minimize these risks. One of the consequences? Pizza restaurants in Venice aren’t allowed to install the high-temperature ovens you find in Naples and elsewhere, which means the crusts, and the overall pizzas, are pretty different. Not sure if this directly connects to eating habits, but I found it interesting when I was there. ---
**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:** [January 22, 2021, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/59 "2021-01-22T09:25:15Z")
As I recall, the pizzeria I ate at had a wood-fired brick oven. ---
**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:** [January 22, 2021, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019/60 "2021-01-22T09:49:33Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Again, I doubt if that is a actual law on the books. I wasn’t actually being serious [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-considered-acceptable-pizza-toppings-in-italy/931019.md?page=4)