# What common toppings do you NOT like on a pizza? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 25, 2017, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174 "2017-01-25T19:14:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/101 "2017-01-27T23:38:34Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Don’t care much for green peppers. I’ll eat them if they’re there, but it’s not something I’d ever order for myself. > > Actually, I don’t care much for \*green peppers in general. I’ll add them to a salad, but that’s about it. > > \*Well, bell peppers, regardless of the color. Hear hear! (At least until the addendum.) I care not for green peppers at all. I do like the red, orange, and yellow ones but (of course) in the store they’re at least twice as expensive as those icky greens. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/102 "2017-01-27T23:58:45Z")
I see that one topping I actually like is the most hated in general. That’s anchovies, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/103 "2017-01-28T00:13:31Z")
For those of you that think you hate anchovies, it may be just because you have only had the cheap, canned, American versions. I like those too personally but they are very salty and I can see why some people don’t like them. However, those are not the only types of anchovies there are. Mediterranean anchovies (generally from Italy, France, Spain, Greece and Portugal) are much higher quality and come in many superior varieties. Anchovies aren’t a species of fish (there are anywhere from 16 to over 100 different ones) and there are many different types of curing and flavorings. Some of them are divine straight out of the jar. Give those a try if you ever run across them and you may change your mind instantly. There is nothing inherently wrong with the canned American versions either but their flavor is extremely salty and strong because they are mainly prepared to be used as an ingredient in other dishes rather than eaten straight. Their salty, unami flavors can perk up a wide range of recipes that you would never suspect. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/104 "2017-01-28T00:33:42Z")
You betcha! I always put an anchovy or two in my pasta aglio e olio, mashing it into the hot oil and garlic. A little anchovy adds an excellent base element to lamb stew, too. Re: Green bell pepper. I always substitute a light green Cubanelle pepper (aka Italian frying pepper) in recipes calling for green pepper, including Creole/Cajun “holy trinity” bases. If you can’t find one, a poblano chile also works. ---
**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:** [January 28, 2017, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/105 "2017-01-28T02:24:11Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > You betcha! I always put an anchovy or two in my pasta aglio e olio, mashing it into the hot oil and garlic. A little anchovy adds an excellent base element to lamb stew, too. Works great with beef, too. I usually add it to my beef stew or, if I don’t have it around, a few shakes of fish sauce (which is essentially anchovies in liquid form.) Same with meat-based red sauces for pasta. A chicken liver or two works similar magic for a meat sauce. It’s not quite an umami bomb like anchovies or fish sauce, but it adds an unidentifiable richness and body to the stew or meat sauce. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/106 "2017-01-28T04:08:45Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > I hate, hate, HATE black olives. > I LOVE green olives. QFT. I am surprised by the onion hate, it is one of my go-tos for improving a frozen pizza. I think pineapple has no place on a pizza, and green pepper is just wrong. I’m not a fan of fish, so anchovies are right out. I dislike cooked mushrooms, but can pick off/ ignore them as need be. I will eat ground beef on a pizza but it is BORING. I associate it with people who are frightened by food with flavor, ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/107 "2017-01-28T04:12:05Z")
Re: ground beef on pizza. Don’t all you folks west of the great NYC/New Haven pizza divide have the MEATBALL option? I’ve never seen plain ground beef offered as a topping around here. Sliced meatballs, yes. ---
**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:** [January 28, 2017, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/108 "2017-01-28T04:28:53Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Re: ground beef on pizza. > > Don’t all you folks west of the great NYC/New Haven pizza divide have the MEATBALL option? I’ve never seen plain ground beef offered as a topping around here. Sliced meatballs, yes. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve seen meatballs out here. I would also say that ground beef isn’t terribly common, either, but I have seen it. To me, it seems like an odd thing to put on pizza for some reason, but I"m not sure why. One of my local favorites – although it’s only at a couple places that do it right – is Italian beef and giardiniera. The first time I heard of it, I thought it was dumb. (Italian beef is a mostly Chicago thing, served usually as a sandwich, of roast top sirloin or top or bottom round, thinly sliced, spiced with Italian type seasonings, served dipped in the jus. Traditionally, served with fried green peppers and/or giardiniera, a spicy blend of pickled vegetables, usually hot peppers, carrots, and celery, sometimes others, sometimes without carrots). ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/109 "2017-01-28T18:57:17Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > To be honest, I don’t think I’ve seen meatballs out here. I would also say that ground beef isn’t terribly common, either, but I have seen it. To me, it seems like an odd thing to put on pizza for some reason, but I"m not sure why. One of my local favorites – although it’s only at a couple places that do it right – is Italian beef and giardiniera… I don’t recall seeing meatballs as a pizza topping, either. While I adore beefs, I haven’t a pizza it ‘worked’ on. The flavor isn’t assertive enough. I also don’t approve of cheese on a beef sangwich so maybe there’s a mental block, too. Giardiniera is a fantastic topping, though. Oily, spicy, crunchy, tangy, it’s a great pizza compliment. My [preferred brand](https://www.parthenonfoods.com/products/giardiniera-hot-orlando-greco-16oz?variant=1190979381) has cauliflower and olives as well as plenty of carrots. Shortly after high school and traveling on my own for the first time, I remember my dismay at learning that Subway restaurants outside of the Chicago area do not have giardiniera available. Without that spicy pop, low rent bread and shredded iceberg just isn’t very good. ---
**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:** [January 28, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/110 "2017-01-28T19:40:34Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > I don’t recall seeing meatballs as a pizza topping, either. While I adore beefs, I haven’t a pizza it ‘worked’ on. The flavor isn’t assertive enough. I also don’t approve of cheese on a beef sangwich so maybe there’s a mental block, too. Yeah, none of the cheezy Italian beef crap for me, either, but the pizza at Vito & Nick’s converted me. Actually, what’s best is a “combo” pizza, Italian sausage, Italian beef, and giardiniera. Oh yeah! ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/111 "2017-01-28T20:02:02Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > …but the pizza at Vito & Nick’s converted me. I’m willing and eager to be converted, too. Sad to say I haven’t been to Vito & Nick’s though their legendary reputation is undisputed. Since I was digging through my menus for the [cheese wonton thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=817516), I checked four local pizza places. Two of them have meatballs as pizza toppings so maybe not as uncommon as I thought. I was surprised to see that 3 of the 4 have zucchini available for pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/112 "2017-01-28T21:00:59Z")
I spent more time in Chicago – family business – than I particularly wanted to last year, primarily in a house that’s a ten-minute walk from Al’s on Taylor Street. So I consumed more Italian beef sandwiches than I should have. It is one of Chicago’s many magnificent contributions to American cuisine. But on pizza, I just can’t figure it. I’ll have to try Vito & Nick’s next time. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/113 "2017-01-29T07:39:20Z")
Answered too soon. No anchovies but also I lived in Japan in the early 80’s and pizza places would but dozens + of little squid all over with out asking. Yuuuch. Also, no clams. Don’t even think about escargot - fancy name for snails=compressed slime. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/114 "2017-01-29T19:37:41Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > I’d rather have corn on it. Peas? Carrots? Umm, does it have something besides those, as well? Maybe some bulgogi? Oh yes, pizza in Thailand has other ingredients too, but these are not uncommon. I would never order a pizza that had any of those, but the Thais think they’re being all Western by eating it. ---
**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:** [January 29, 2017, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/115 "2017-01-29T21:10:23Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Re: ground beef on pizza. > > Don’t all you folks west of the great NYC/New Haven pizza divide have the MEATBALL option? I’ve never seen plain ground beef offered as a topping around here. Sliced meatballs, yes. Of course we have meatballs. But that’s just as different from hamburger as beef sausage is. Hamburger pizza has no real flavor. But that’s also why I don’t consider it a topping not to like. It’s a decent part of any “all meats” pizza. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/116 "2017-01-29T22:01:12Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > I’ll have to try Vito & Nick’s next time. Next time you’re in town and have some spare time, let us know and we’ll see if we can make an outing of it. If you weren’t hungry before, here’s a lengthy thread by folks I trust discussing and documenting Vito & Nick’s: > **[LTHForum.com - Vito & Nick's Pizza](https://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=21218)** > > Chicago culinary chat. Home of the Great Neighborhood Restaurant (GNR) award. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/117 "2017-01-29T22:18:50Z")
I like all those conventional toppings but not necessarily in any combination. Not a huge fan of chicken on pizza but have done it. Not listed: lettuce, mayo, and other typical sandwich toppings which I’ve seen sold as specialty pizzas like an Italian sub pizza or a cheese steak sub pizza, that sort of thing. Not a big fan of the idea of a “cheeseburger pizza” or a “bacon cheeseburger,” but those are more palatable. I like supreme/the works pizzas or all the vegetables, but I don’t like “all the meats.” ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/118 "2017-01-30T02:17:23Z")
Mushrooms. Really strange things, mushrooms. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/119 "2017-01-30T02:26:07Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Shortly after high school and traveling on my own for the first time, I remember my dismay at learning that Subway restaurants outside of the Chicago area do not have giardiniera available. Without that spicy pop, low rent bread and shredded iceberg just isn’t very good. And along with the giardinera–Italian beef itself is of course pretty much unavailable outside of Chicago “and environs.” One of the sad things about not living in Chicago these days is that I can no longer just go get an Italian beef. I’ll never understand how Philly cheesesteaks won the Battle of the Beef Sandwiches…Philly cheesesteaks are okay (well, I don’t put cheese on beef or indeed on much of anything else, but the meat is fine), but not close to the culinary delight that is an Italian beef sandwich, and yet they seem to be everywhere while Chicago’s Finest languishes in obscurity. Go figure. (Beef on weck is quite good, too, better than Philly cheese. But again, hard to get outside of Buffalo. I don’t get it.) ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174/120 "2017-02-19T00:29:41Z")
Mushrooms and olives I won’t eat in any context. Spinach on a pizza just sounds yucky. I have no problem with it in a salad or something, but why would you put it on something hot to make it all wilted and nasty? Oh I’m _so sure_ your place has the special trick to make it not a hot mess, good for you, I’m still not trying it. Peppers and onions would have been a deal breaker when I was a kid but could be acceptable today. Problem is the recent times I’ve had peppers on a pizza, they seem to just be raw, and not very integrated into the flavor. When I hated them as kid, they always seem to be thoroughly cooked and the flavor so sopped into the 'za as a whole that even pulling them off left it yucky tasting. Pineapple is great, mandatory even, if you’re having a hawaiian pizza (which is quite good). Don’t know why you’d order it otherwise. I’ve never had anchovies, but I’d be willing to try if I was sharing and someone else wanted them. Plain cheese is just plain awful. It’s like a sandwich that’s just bread. Why? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-toppings-do-you-not-like-on-a-pizza/778174.md?page=7)