Why You Shouldn't Expect Pepperoni Pizza On Menus In Italy

Pizza may have been born in Italy, but if you are expecting to find an "authentic" pepperoni pizza in the country, you'll be out of luck. The canon of popular pizza toppings in the United States is pretty set at this point, and while people order plenty of sausage or mushroom pies, pepperoni reigns above all. The spicy cured meat is the most ordered topping in America, and a recent YouGov survey shows 82% of people say they either like or love it, with 24% of people naming it their number one topping choice, almost doubling second place sausage. In America at least, pepperoni is synonymous with pizza. In Italy however, it's not just not popular, it's non-existent. Chalk that up to Italian's love of local ingredients, something pepperoni very much isn't.

It may surprise some people to realize this, but pepperoni is an original Italian-American creation, which is why you won't see it on menus in Italy. Like spaghetti and meatballs or cioppino, pepperoni is something Americans call Italian, but was created by immigrants outside their home country. Pepperoni is only first mentioned in print in 1919 in New York City, although it likely dates back to the late 19th century. It's a creation intimately tied to the Italian American pizzerias, and it first appeared alongside the earliest American pizza restaurants. While there are spicy salamis in Italy, they are quite a bit different, and there are none called pepperoni, which actually means "bell pepper" over there.

Like many other Italian dishes, pizza and toppings are regional in Italy, but the closest thing you'll find to pepperoni is probably Calabrese salami, which is one of the many spicy regional salamis popular on pizza. Calabrese salami is named after its home of Calabria, and is made with spicy Calabrian chiles, making it similar in flavor to pepperoni. The biggest difference is in texture. Pepperoni has a unique soft, fine-grained texture, which gives slices their signature chew. Calabrese salami is much closer to soppressata and other Italian salami with their big, distinct chunks of fat. Calabrese salami is also a pork salami, whereas pepperoni is usually made from a mixture of beef and pork.

There are other spicy salami's that are also used on pizza in Italy, including spicy soppressata, the hot Italian spreadable sausage 'nduja, and another Calabrian salami called spianata piccante. Or you just may see a general label like salamino piccante, as piccante means "hot." Any one will make a great pizza and give you an experience similar to pepperoni. The main thing to look out for is the name, as Italian pizzas with spicy salami are often labeled "diavola." It's a popular style of pizza in Italy — the Italian-American love of spicy salami as a pizza topping didn't come from nowhere. Just don't make the mistake of asking for pepperoni pizza in Italy, unless you don't mind a pizza loaded with bell peppers.