Pepperoni: America's Favorite Pizza Topping


Pepperoni: America's Favorite Pizza Topping
Pepperoni: America's Favorite Pizza Topping
Pepperoni: America's Favorite Pizza Topping

Americans have a continuing love affair with pizza. From frozen food aisles to artisanal brick ovens, we can't seem to get enough. The menu has widened more than a little since the Margherita was originally topped with fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil. The famous flatbread pie has even made it all the way from its home in Italy to the exotic Hawaii, which lent its increasingly popular combination of sweet pineapple and salty ham.
What choice consistently makes the top of the list in the United States? That would have to be the ever-popular pepperoni. These savory bites are practically the default topping on an American slice. However, they didn't take their current place of dominance until after World War II, and they weren't even heard of as an option when pizza first made its debut in the United States in the late 18th century.
Because of its name and prominent association with the Italian based food, many assume that pepperoni originated there, too. But in fact, it is a wholly American creation. First mentioned in print in 1919, this variation on the Italian types of salami has a distinct fine-grained texture and spicy, slightly smoky flavor. Its vibrant red color comes from the paprika and cayenne usually present in the recipe.
The name for the cured meat is actually thought to be a corruption of the Italian word for bell peppers, "peperoni," which sounds very similar but results in a very different plate. Imagine the surprise of English speakers who try to order a slice and receive a layer of sliced peppers instead of the pepperonis they were expecting. Italians do top some pizza with different types of salami, but there is nothing that quite matches the particular style of our pepperoni.
The processing of this kind of meat has been modified from the original rustic style to accommodate mass production, including use of nitrates and artificial casings. This has caused some connoisseurs of Italian meats to look down on it as a kind of mongrel salami, but that has not stopped the U.S. from choosing it on approximately 40% of our pizza orders.
Large, well-known brands like Hormel sell tremendous amounts of the product every year, but there is also a growing movement of butchers and curers looking to produce their own recipes with less preservatives and locally sourced ingredients. Salami and other sausage types such as the spicier soppressata are making their way into pizzerias throughout the nation, but American chefs are finding new ways to incorporate pepperoni into recipes beyond the traditional topping or sandwich meat.
The palettes of Americans may be expanding to accept an increasingly diverse and creative range of ingredients, but our own pepperoni continues to be the pizza topping most beloved by the nation. Whether it is combined with bacon and sausage for a meat lover's special, paired with mushrooms, or just by itself, we can always seem to count on pepperoni for the perfect slice.
For pepperoni toppings and more, Arlington, VA residents visit Paisano's Pizza. Learn more at http://www.pizzapaisanos.com/pizza-arlington-va/.


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