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A pizza pie is like a big, cheesy canvas to unleash culinary creativity. There are really no rules when it comes to this humble combination of dough, cheese, and sauce. Do you want it topped with fruit and sweet sauces? How about loads of obscure seafood? What about a slice of pizza with miniature slices of pizza as a topping? Yes, that’s a thing. Whatever epicurean conquest you’re on, pizza lets you explore to your heart’s content, and it never judges.
We all know the classic pizza toppings — pepperoni, mushrooms, sausage, and the like — but all over the U.S., there are oddball ingredients lurking in the shadows of the pizza universe. Different regions across the country stake their claim in fun, inventive toppings; some are well known, while some are hyper-regional and specific, going unnoticed by most of the pizza-loving populace — until now. These pies showcase how each area interprets its perfect slice, steeped in the cultural traditions of our country’s amalgamated heritage. So, let’s grab some Parmesan and garlic, plenty of napkins, and leave our judgments at the door to explore every corner of the nation and uncover some surprising pizza creations.
1. American cheese – Altoona, PA
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There’s no better way to put a genuine U.S.-style spin on an Italian creation than by melting a slice of bright yellow, square cheese on top. Altoona-style pizza starts with a Sicilian pizza base and is then topped with green bell peppers and peppercorn salami. But the pièce de résistance is the melted American cheese that covers up the sauce and toppings, making it look, objectively, pretty bleak.
Those who love it can revel in the fact that it’s pretty easy to create at home, and those who despise it can rejoice in knowing that this pizza style is secluded to one small Pennsylvania city. It all started at the Altoona Hotel back in the ’60s or ’70s, where the unique pie drew in a crowd of curious patrons. In 2013, the hotel burned down, but its legacy lives on in one of the nation’s most hyper-regional and double-take-inducing pizza styles to date.
2. Green chiles – New Mexico
Green chiles are as New Mexican as adobe and the high desert, so it should come as no surprise that they can often be found donning a slice of ‘za in the Land of Enchantment. Green chiles — otherwise known as Hatch chiles — are specific to the Hatch Valley of New Mexico. They’re usually roasted before being added to recipes, amplifying their naturally smokey and savory taste.
Oftentimes, the roasted green chiles will accompany meat — like pepperoni or sausage — on a pizza, but sometimes you’ll find a cheesy pie with the chiles as its sole fixing. They add a uniquely smokey and lightly sweet flavor to the pizza, which pairs well with rich, creamy cheese. Although they’re not typically as hot as ghost peppers or even habaneros, they still require a decent amount of spice tolerance to be able to handle them as a pizza topping, where a mouthful of roasted peppers is sure to deliver a potent punch of warming heat.
3. Lobster – Maine
Anyone who has ever been to or lived in Maine will tell you that folks in those parts put lobster on everything. If lobster tacos, sandwiches, and dumplings are fair game, then why not pizza? Some might argue that the naturally sweet lobster meat gets drowned out by tart tomato sauce and loads of melty cheese, and the bouncy texture of the shellfish doesn’t jive with the texture of cheese and pizza crust. But there’s still a case to be made for the state’s most famous food on the country’s most famous handheld dish.
Kitschy Geddy’s of tourist hot-spot Bar Harbour, just outside Acadia National Park, specializes in a fan favorite lobster pie that eschews the tangy red sauce for a decadent white sauce, plus bacon and jalapeño. Lobster on pizza may not be something that locals tend to enjoy, but it’s still a worthy item for your lobster bucket list if you’re planning on feasting your way through the beautiful Pine Tree State.
4. Tater tots – Midwest
The food of the Midwest is all about convenience and comfort, so folks out in America’s breadbasket tend to get extra creative when it comes to pizza. One of the most quintessentially-Midwestern, starch-heavy pizza creations utilizes tater tots — a favorite for hotdish and potato-centric nachos. This pie makes a hearty, cozy dinner typically found in the Minnesota and Dakotas area, where tater tot hotdish reigns supreme.
If you’re lucky enough (or unlucky, depending on your culinary opinions) to come across a tater tot pizza, you’ll likely find it also has onions, peppers, and some kind of meat (bacon bits aren’t uncommon). One version at Rhombus Guy’s in Fargo, North Dakota, transforms a classic Midwestern hotdish recipe into a pizza pie with a cream of chicken sauce, beef, corn, cheddar, mozzarella, and taters. You might even come across a pizza utilizing tater tots in lieu of pizza dough — but that’s a whole different beast entirely.
5. Scrapple – Mid-Atlantic
There’s nothing like an offal-based loaf first thing in the morning — so say the folks of the Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland area, anyway. Scrapple is a product of German immigration to the lower colonies — known as Pennsylvania Dutch Country. The meat patty is made from pork scraps (typically organ meats), cornmeal, and seasonings. It has a rich texture and iron-y flavor that can be a bit overbearing on its own, but when enjoyed underneath gooey, runny eggs, it creates a vitamin-packed, delicious breakfast.
One Philly-area eatery — Rustica Pizza — does scrapple on a white pie with maple syrup and a drizzle of ketchup (which is arguably more egregious than the addition of scrapple). Other diners and pizzerias in the mid-Atlantic serve scrapple with egg on a pizza for a regional take on a classic breakfast pie. Some eateries in Delaware do a scrapple pie simply, with just meat and peppers on a standard pizza base, maintaining the meat’s crispy, fried outside and iconically smooth and creamy center.
6. Chili – Texas
Is it messy? Sure. But is it worth the mess? You bet. Outside of BBQ brisket, chili is Texas’ most iconic dish — with no beans, of course. All-meat chili — also called chile con carne — typically consists of ground beef, peppers (both hot and sweet), onions, and plenty of spices. Since no one would bat an eye at these ingredients individually scattered on top of a pizza pie, it actually makes perfect, sloppy sense that chili on pizza would be delicious.
Some folks opt to skip the pizza sauce and use the chili itself in place of a sauce, with a thick layer of cheese on top. This works particularly well if you’re working with a chili that’s on the thinner side. Others choose to construct a deep-dish style pizza that’s extra concave in order to fit loads of chili inside (but you’ll still probably want a knife and fork for this pie). Some home cooks and chefs will take this pizza the extra mile and toss in some hot dog slices for a chili cheese dog pie, creating a hybrid of three classic American dishes in one meal.
7. Pierogis – Pittsburgh
I know what you’re thinking: “pierogis on pizza can’t be real.” But it’s actually not that uncommon of a topping — albeit only in the Pittsburgh area — and it’s not exactly what you’re thinking. Pierogies are a much-loved staple food in the Pittsburgh region, where Polish and other Eastern European immigrants give the city its famously-rich heritage and iconic cuisine, helping designate PA as a state where oddball pizzas are as prevalent as sports rivalries and turnpike tolls.
Instead of plopping whole pierogis on a pizza and calling it a day, a typical Pittsburgh pierogi pie consists of traditional fillings stacked on top of a pizza. We’re talking sauerkraut, beef, potato, and grilled onion, plus a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella, for a little sharp bite to complement the meaty, savory toppings. Regional chains, like Bishop’s Pizza, and family-owned diners are known to crank out pierogi pies, with every spot having its one unique spin on the Pennsylvania classic.
8. Taco toppings – Midwest
Every Midwestern native has fond childhood memories of the humble taco pizza. It’s said to have spawned from the culinary genius of Joe Whitty, the North Dakota-born owner of Happy Joe’s Pizza, an iconic Iowa-based pizzeria. Legend has it that one of Whitty’s franchises reported an increased demand for tacos. Instead of conceding and adding tacos to his pizzeria’s menu, Whitty created something even better, which would come to spawn one of the Midwest’s most iconic dishes in the process.
The famous taco pie doesn’t utilize traditional Mexican taco toppings like cilantro, hot peppers, and lime. Instead, it transforms America’s taco recipe — think crunchy taco shell, ground beef, and shredded cheddar — into an elaborate thin-crust pizza. The pie at Happy Joe’s comes with crushed tortilla chips, taco sauce, cold veggies, plenty of cheese, and seasoned beef and sausage. Other Midwestern eateries aim to recreate the cult classic pie, but folks in Iowa claim there’s nothing like the iconic flavor of the original at Happy Joe’s.
9. Clams – New Haven, CT
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Although it resides alongside New York where it sees some serious competition, there’s still a case to be made for New Haven, Connecticut, as one of the nation’s most illustrious pizza towns. Here, a pizza is the preferred style. It’s a unique Neapolitan-esque creation rooted in Italian tradition with a charred, chewy crust, sweet sauce, and less cheese than a New York slice. The decision to add clams to this pizza started with Italian immigrant Frank Pepe of Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in the 1960s, and it quickly became a New England staple.
Frank Pepe’s white clam pizza isn’t a saucy, cheesy pizza with clams tossed on top willy-nilly. It has a sauceless base (which is called “white” in New Haven) with clams, garlic, oregano, Romano cheese, olive oil, and sometimes bacon. And not just any old clams will do. Local littlenecks are considered the best clams for New Haven’s white clam pizza, giving it more regional flare and freshest possible taste. It’s certainly a tad fishy, but seafood and Italian food fans all over the country consider this pie to be one of the nation’s best.
10. Reindeer sausage – Alaska
Unique meats and seafood are staples in Alaska, and few are as representative of the rugged, wild state as reindeer sausage. Much to the dismay of Alaska’s tourists, reindeer sausage is actually only partially made with reindeer meat (usually less than 25%), and is typically cut with a blend of beef and pork. Nevertheless, the addition of reindeer meat in the sausage gives it a distinctly savory flavor that’s unique to game meats, but since it also includes plenty of beef and pork, it rarely ever tastes too gamey.
You’ll often find reindeer sausage on full-size pies and flatbread-style pizzas in Alaskan cities, especially those tourists are known to frequent. Some Alaska residents will make the regional ‘za at home, cooking reindeer sausage in beer (“reinbeer” pizza, if you will) to infuse it with the flavor of tangy, herby hops before crumbling it up and stacking it high on the pie.
11. Corn and beans – Southwest
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Corn and beans are two of the three sisters in Native American cuisine, which maintains a domineering presence in the culinary heritage of the Southwest. You’ll find these two ingredients in a vast array of dishes in this region, so why not on pizza? Corn, specifically, on pizza sparks plenty of contention, but once beans are tossed in the mix, it becomes less of a strange culinary choice and more of a pie rooted in history and culinary traditions.
You’ll find corn and beans on pies in restaurants in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Southern California. They often include avocado in some form (especially in California) and they almost always include something spicy, whether it be a spicy sauce or hot peppers. Black beans are the bean of choice, which is a staple in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine. A popular pie at Pyro’s Fire Fresh Pizza has chicken, green onions, spicy marinara, and corn and bean salsa, topped with a drizzle of spicy ranch for a classic American touch.
12. Sauerkraut – Midwest
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While it’s not an incredibly common pizza topping, you’ll likely find a sauerkraut-topped pie at eateries in parts of the Midwest with strong German or Eastern European roots, where sauerkraut is a staple food. It sounds unpleasant, but sauerkraut on a traditional pizza actually makes a lot of sense. Its tangy, fermented flavor cuts through the richness of savory, salty cheese and meats, and gives each bite a slight crunch that complements the soft toppings and adds some texture contrast.
You’re most likely to find a pie topped with sauerkraut in Southwestern Ohio. The Waynesville, Ohio, Sauerkraut Festival does one with meaty pork sausage while a local chain, Marion’s, has a sauerkraut pizza with sliced deli ham. If you plan to make one at home, make sure to drain your sauerkraut, and then drain it some more. Soppy wet kraut is a recipe for a ruined pizza. Try it with minced bratwurst and mushrooms, or whichever veggies you like best. Sauerkraut goes well with savory, sweet, and tangy ingredients, so you can create any masterpiece to suit your taste with this unassuming pizza addition.
13. Cold toppings – Ohio Valley
Once again, the Midwest graces us with yet another bizarre pizza topping choice, this once specific to the Ohio Valley and parts of West Virginia. An Ohio Valley-style pie is square, but it’s not like a Sicilian pizza. It has a thin crust, and comes out of the oven looking simple, with just sauce and a small amount of melty cheese. But once it’s pulled from the oven, a mass of cold shredded mozzarella and pepperoni is piled on high, without ever getting the chance to melt — but that’s the idea. The residual heat slightly softens the cheese, but the toppings stay cold, creating a contrast of textures and temperatures that isn’t found in any other pizza style.
The history of Ohio Valley-style pizza starts with the DiCarlo family of Steubenville, who ran an Italian eatery and bakery in the early 20th century. They created the pie when they decided to add pizza to their restaurant’s menu, after being inspired by travels to Europe during World War II. No one knows for sure why the DiCarlo’s didn’t melt the cheese and ensure the toppings were hot, but they created an Ohio icon and made a name for themselves in the world of American pizza nonetheless.
14. Crab dip – Maryland
It may make pizza purists scoff, and it may be one of the rarer pizzas on this list, but Maryland’s most famous food is a delicious pizza topping — if done right, that is. A crab dip pizza combines two local favorites: Old Bay-laced, creamy seafood dip plus a cheesy, hot pizza. The standard Maryland-style crab dip recipe that you’re likely to find on a pizza involves Old Bay (naturally), aromatics, various melty cheeses, and fresh herbs for garnishing.
Instead of smearing the crab concoction on a marinara and cheese-drenched pizza, the dip is usually spread on a simple crust — either sauceless or with béchamel sauce — where it can act as the star of the show. You likely won’t find loads of added ingredients, like veggies or meat, and oftentimes even no added cheese outside of what’s in the dip. However, one popular version of a crab dip pie with loads of cheese comes from O’Loughlin’s Pub in Arnold. This flatbread-style pizza is covered in plenty of housemade crab dip, and then finished off with a generous helping of sharp Vermont cheddar.
15. Potatoes – Idaho
Potatoes on pizza might sound like a starchy disaster, but to Idaho locals, it’s pure comfort food bliss. Although it seems like this pie is a uniquely American creation, the potato pizza actually has roots in Italy. However, in Idaho, it’s done a bit differently than in the old country, where potato is sliced thin and layered on a pie with some cheese, fresh herbs, and nothing more.
One version of an Idaho potato pie starts with chicken, bacon, and ranch (a holy trinity in American fare) plus delicate slices of potato. The potato is cut thin so that it can cook thoroughly when layered on the pie raw, providing a slight crunch and buttery flavor without weighing down the slice. Other takes on this regional specialty come from Pie Hole Pizza, a regional Idaho chain, which does a potato and bacon pie. Proper Pizza offers a bold pie with potato wedges, white sauce, and smoked sausage, topped with a spicy drizzle and a sprinkle of chives.
16. Pickles – Midwest
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It’s only fair to finish off this list with another bold pizza topping choice courtesy of the Midwest. Pickles on a pizza sounds more like a bizarre pregnancy craving than an actual dish, but this trend has been leaking out of the Midwest and finding its way to the coasts in recent years — even California Pizza Kitchen has a frozen pickle pie that you can bake at home. It looks a bit off-putting, but when you think about it, what’s wrong with pickles, bread, and cheese?
Pickle pizzas are spotted on Wisconsin pub menus to Iowa pizzerias and everywhere in between. You’ll often find this pie with plenty of cheese and thin-sliced dill pickle rounds or chunks scattered all over the pie, often with some additional fresh dill sprinkled on for good measure. The result is similar to that of sauerkraut on a pizza — added sharpness and tang that lets the cheese taste particularly rich and creamy against the briny flavor. Although you often see just pickles as the sole topping on this pie, it’s also delicious with savory, salty meat, like crumbled sausage or fresh, thick-cut pepperoni.
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