What Unites Us: A Slice of Global Culture

Happy National Pizza Day!

Any way you slice it, pizza might just be the world’s most popular food. But while pizza’s global appeal can’t be topped, pizza itself can be—in an endless number of ways. (Bananas and blue cheese, anyone?) Pizza might look and taste different depending on where you are, but it has a way of uniting and exciting palates across cultures—so much so that it has its own day of recognition!

In 1984, the publisher of Pizza Today magazine declared an annual pizza celebration in the US. Today, many countries celebrate National Pizza Day on February 9. Let’s take a look at the origins of this popular cuisine as well as the various ways it is enjoyed across the globe.

Fun fact: According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the world’s longest pizza measured more than 6,300 feet and used 17,700 pounds of dough, 5,000 pounds of sauce, and 3,900 pounds of cheese.

Modern-Day Pizza Has Roots in Naples, Italy

People long ago ate flatbread with toppings. In ancient Greece, a dish called plakous featured flatbread topped with olive oil, spices, and sometimes cheese. But pizza with tomatoes and cheese originated later in Italy. The earliest style, known as pizza marinara, features crushed tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and olive oil. Pizza Margherita—so named when a Naples restaurant owner prepared a pie for the queen—features olive oil, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil, which are the colors of the Italian flag. These are known as Neapolitan pizzas, which means originating in Naples. A third variation, pizza Margherita con mozzarella di bufala, uses buffalo mozzarella instead of regular mozzarella.

Neapolitan pizza is known for its soft, airy crust and fresh, simple ingredients. It’s baked in a wood-fired oven at a very high temperature. The art of baking Neapolitan pizza has been passed down through generations, with specific requirements for the dough, tomatoes, and cheese. Neapolitan pizza has even been recognized on UNESCO’s “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” list. 

Elsewhere in Italy, Roman pizza has a thin, crispy crust, while Sicilian pizza is square with a thick crust.

As American as Pizza Pie?

Groups of Italian immigrants arriving in the US at the turn of the last century brought a taste of home with them. Soon, pizza’s popularity exploded in the States.

In 1905, the first pizzeria opened in New York City. New Yorkers put their spin on the Neapolitan style of pizza, with a lighter dose of sauce and larger slices to fold in half for eating.

Chicago is the birthplace of another style of American pizza: deep dish. With a thick and buttery crust, slightly sweet sauce, and lots of cheese, deep-dish pizza is quite the deviation from its thinner-crust relatives.

Compared with the minimalism of Neapolitan pizza, American pizzas tend toward big and bold. Aside from myriad toppings, American pizza sometimes goes all out with extra cheese and a stuffed crust. According to a recent survey, the most popular pizza topping in the US is pepperoni, followed by mushrooms and mozzarella. And there is no shortage of go-to specialty pizzas, such as barbecue chicken and Hawaiian-style ham and pineapple.

Pizza Around the World

While traditional Italian and US styles of pizza are enjoyed throughout the world, many countries and cultures have their own tasty spin on pizza.

Europe

Something’s fishy: Pissaladière is a French, pizza-like flatbread topped with caramelized onions, black olives, anchovies, and sometimes anchovy paste. Some variations include tomatoes and omit anchovies.

Some like it hot: In Hungary, Magyaros pizza is topped with bacon, Hungarian sausage, salami, hot peppers, and red onion.

Norway leads the way: You may think Italy leads the world in pizza consumption, but that distinction goes to Norway. While Norwegians enjoy their share of homemade and restaurant-baked pizza, frozen pizza is the most commonly consumed pizza in that country.

That’s bananas: Most pizza toppings are savory, but some folks in Iceland and Sweden top their pies with banana slices. In Iceland, banana is commonly paired with blue cheese or pineapple.

Middle East

Minced meat: Lahmacun is a Middle Eastern flatbread. Native to the Levant, it’s popular in Syria and Lebanon as well as Armenia and Turkey, where it is likely to be referred to as Armenian pizza or Turkish pizza. Lahmacun is topped with minced lamb or beef, minced vegetables, and plenty of herbs and spices.

So cheesy: Iranian pizza is known for its thick crust, lots of cheese, and copious amounts of toppings, which may include lamb, feta, mint, and more in addition to mozzarella and a yogurt sauce.

Asia

A little bit of everything: Sometimes called Japanese pizza, okonomiyaki is more like a pancake or frittata. It’s made with flour, eggs, tempura scraps, cabbage, and pork belly slices, topped with an array of sauces and flavorings.

Nice and spicy: Tandoori chicken pizza is a flavor-packed Indian dish featuring chunks of tandoori-marinated chicken and traditionally topped with roasted green bell pepper, red onion, and lemon juice. It may include sauce, cheese, and other toppings. It's frequently served with raita, a yogurt-based condiment, to balance the spiciness.

Korean fusion: Bulgogi pizza combines Western-style pizza with Korean barbecue. The dough is topped with bulgogi (marinated barbecued beef), vegetables, and an oyster-based sauce. Another Korean favorite, kimchi pizza, is topped with gut-friendly kimchi (fermented vegetables) along with cheese, sauce, and more.

Latin America

Don’t cry for me, Argentina: Fugazza is a fire-grilled, focaccia-like pizza popular in Argentina. The dough is topped with caramelized onions, mozzarella, and oregano.  

I never sausage a pizza: Calabresa pizza, created in Brazil, is a sausage lover’s dream topped with Calabresa sausage, sauce, onion, and oregano. (This is not to be confused with the Italian Calabrese pizza, featuring chopped tomatoes, tuna, anchovies, olives, capers, and garlic.)

Street pizza: Tlayuda is an iconic street food from Oaxaca, Mexico. It's made with a giant tortilla topped with asiento (fat left over from frying pig lard), refried beans, and ribbons of quesillo.

Africa

Bunny chow: Bunny chow, or curried beef, originated in a heavily Indian city in South Africa. Traditionally served in a hollowed-out loaf of bread, it makes perfect sense on a pizza! Curried beef or vegetables are placed on a thick crust and topped with mozzarella, oregano, and coriander.

Fusion of flavors: Zanzibar pizza is a collision of foods and flavors packed into a pocket of dough and then fried. Think meats, vegetables, and cheeses, but also perhaps eggs, mayonnaise, and regional condiments.

Global Mindset, Localized Approach

Just as TransPerfect takes a global mindset and localized approach to language services, so does the world of pizza. Think about it: people in China enjoy Pizza Hut pizza that originated on the other side of the globe, but they’ve localized it with regional preferences such as crab, tuna, and soy sauce. It’s a great approach to all cuisine—balance your love of local favorites with an open mind and adventurous palate that enables you to discover and enjoy new flavors from around the world. Better yet, your life will be enriched by learning about other cultures through food.

What are your favorite pizza flavors and traditions? Let us know on Facebook or LinkedIn.