10 Strange and Delicious Regional Pizza Toppings

Anywhere you go around the world, you are sure to find that each region will have their own specific take on pizza, whether its the style (for example Chicago deep dish or thin, airy Neapolitan pizza) or the toppings that they use.

When it comes to what influences pizza toppings in a specific region, food culture plays a big part, as does other factors like environment and what ingredients are readily avaliable. Cheese and pepperoni can be found just about anywhere, but what about those toppings that are a little more unique? Here are 10 regional pizza toppings you have to try next time you are travelling around the world.

Lobster – Boston, USA

The New England region of The States are renowned for their crustaceans, in particular, lobster, so it’s no surprise that you’ll find plenty of lobster pizzas on menus in Boston. One shining example is the lobster pizza at the Liberty Hotel, which features cream, cheese, garlic and the meat of a two pound lobster.

Bacon and Eggs, France

In France, pizza is often eaten for breakfast, so it’s not surprising that many early morning favourites find their way onto topping lists. Bacon and eggs are a favourite – we’re talking sliced rasher bacon and an entire egg, either fried on the pizza or separately then added later.

Peas –  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Brazilian pizzas can get pretty obscure, with ingredients like quail eggs, carrots, raisins commonly found on menus around the country. One favourite that you’ll find everywhere in Rio de Janiero though is fresh green peas.

Fish – Russia

Fish on pizza is nothing out of the ordinary, but the Russians do it a little differently. Mockba is a popular Russian pizza style, topped with mackrel, tuna, sardines, salmon and onions.

Spices – Palestine

In Palestine, you’ll find pizzas topped with a variety of strange and exotic spices including cinnamon, all spice and nutmeg.

Pickled Ginger – India

Paratha is an Indian dish very similar to the classic Neapolitan pizza base. You’ll commonly find it topped with sheep (mutton) and pickled ginger.

Kangaroo – Australia

The Kangaroo may feature on the Australian coat of arms, but that doesn’t stop us from putting it on our pizzas. Kangaroo meat tastes great marinated in pepper and onion olive oil and is especially good cut very thin and placed on top of a pizza.

Truffles – NYC, USA

Autumn is truffle season in New York, and pizza makers in NYC take full advantage of the bloom in this expensive delicacy. You’ll find quite a few eateries across the city that offer shaved truffles on the top of their pizzas for a whole new level of flavour complexity.

Za’atar – Lebanon 

Za’atar is at the very crux of Lebanese food culture. It is made from a blend of herbs and spices like Origanum syriacum (Lebanese oregano), wild thyme, marjoram, sumac, toasted sesame seeds and salt. You will commonly find it on vegetarian Lebanese food as a substitute for tomato sauce as a base.

Coconut – Costa Rica

Many countries are well-known for putting pineapple on their pizzas, but in Costa Rica shaved coconut is a popular alternative.