What Traveling Teaches You About All the Ways You Can Eat Pizza

Pizza is a famous food with a worldwide reach. In the U.S., you typically see bread, tomato sauce and cheese with your favourite meat and vegetable toppings. However, other countries do it differently. How do different cultures eat pizza? Here are seven unique combinations worldwide that take your taste buds on a trip. 

1. Getting Street Pizza in Mexico

Start by going south of the border to Oaxaca, Mexico, to find Tlayuda. This Mexican pizza requires a corn tortilla topped with refried beans, salsa, cheese, tomato and meat. Add avocados and lettuce to have tasty fruits and vegetables on your pie. While it might look detrimental to your diet, Tlayuda has plenty of healthy toppings and bursting flavours. Grab a plate in Mexico for a different spin on a classic dish.

2. Forgoing Cheese in Turkey

When you think about pizza, you imagine meat, cheese and bread. If you remove one of those components, is it still pizza? Turkish pizza leaves out the cheese while bringing a terrific bite. Order lahmacun in a restaurant, and you’ll see a flatbread with meat on your plate. Garlic, peppers, spices, herbs and lamb make this pie unique. Like Tlayuda, lahmacun is a popular food to carry while walking the streets. 

3. Enjoying Cold Pizza in Russia

Cold pizza is a staple for Americans who want a quick breakfast with their leftovers. How do different cultures eat cold pizza? Head to Russia for an unusual take on this dish. Restaurants in Moscow — the country’s capital — serve cold pizza with mackerel, sardines, tuna, salmon and vegetables. The seafood makes it a healthy dinner, as experts say salmon’s omega-3 fatty acids maintain scalp health and hydrate skin.

4. Sticking to Tradition in Italy

How do different cultures select their toppings when deciding what pizza to eat? The inspiration starts in Naples, Italy. The Campanian capital sees locals placing cheese, garlic and tomato sauce on flatbread. Don’t expect eight pieces because Italian pizza arrives unsliced when the waiter serves it. Cut your pizza with a fork and knife, and don’t worry about people giving you funny looks when you use utensils. 

5. Loading Onions in Argentina

Vegetable-heavy pizza isn’t a rarity, as you can still have a tasty pizza without meat. What if the pie only contained one vegetable? If you like onions, fugazza should be on your Argentine itinerary. This pizza includes plenty of caramelised onions with oregano for a savoury dinner experience. Onions help hair growth through biotin, so each fugazza slice could help your scalp. This pizza doesn’t contain tomato sauce, making it unique from others. 

6. Experimenting With Banana Curry Pizza in Sweden

Fruit on pizza can be controversial when you bring up pineapple. What if somebody put bananas on your pizza? You may turn your nose up, but banana curry pizza is a delicacy in Sweden. This dish contains ham, mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. The ingredients seem normal until you get to the peanuts and bananas. Cooking the banana makes it lose sweetness, so don’t worry about an overwhelming flavour. 

7. Bringing the Broccoli to Brazil

Eating pizza in Brazil may remind you of the Italian style because of the thin crust, mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. However, the country’s pizzas bring unique toppings you might not find in other countries. For instance, broccoli is popular on pizza because it’s healthy and has a mild flavour. Experts say the vegetable could help with estrogen imbalance because of its indole-3-carbinol. Contrast the broccoli with red onions, bacon and other strong tastes. 

How Do Different Cultures Eat Pizza?

When you invent a tasty dish, it won’t take long to spread worldwide. How do different cultures eat pizza and alter the pie? Various countries have remixed pizza with fruits, vegetables and fish. International travel shows the unique ways you can make this pie. Some pizzas remove the cheese, tomato sauce or the typical pizza crust to blur the traditional lines. While Italy is the origin, other nations demonstrate creativity with their curious recipes. 

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Beth, the Managing Editor and content manager at Body+Mind, is well-respected in the mental health, nutrition and fitness spaces. In her spare time, Beth enjoys cooking and going for runs with her dog.