Popular Pizza Toppings

GI’s coming home from World War II made pizza one of the most popular Italian dishes in the United States.  Many of the soldiers were first introduced to this culinary delight in Italy.  When the war was over, many of the soldiers returned home and introduced the American culture to pizza.  Thus, our love affair with pizza was born.

Cheese is the most popular topping on pizza in the United States.  Cheese is served on almost every pizza and sometimes is overlooked as a topping in America.  The types of cheeses used can vary from region to region across the country.  The most common cheese used on pizza, is of course Mozzarella.  Other cheeses that are becoming more commonplace on pizza are Provolone, Parmesan, Romano, Ricotta or a blend of cheeses.

Pepperoni has become American’s favorite meat topping.  The Italian-American varieties of Pepperoni are made out of salami and cured pork. This type of Pepperoni is most commonly found on pizza throughout the U.S. Out of all the pizzas sold in the United States, about 36% of them include some type of pepperoni.

Italian sausage is another popular choice of topping used on pizzas.  This type of sausage is big on flavor due to the variety of spices mixed in with the meat.  It has become one of the more popular varieties of sausage used on pizza across the country.  Many gourmet sausages are now becoming quite commonplace such as duck, veal and sausage made out of wild game.

Onions on pizza are a great combination when added with other toppings or just simply alone.  Yellow onions are more widely used on pizza.  White onions have a stronger taste and the red onion is sweeter with a milder flavor.  Different types of onions are now being used since the early 1990’s and the birth of the “gourmet pizza”, have given the consumer many new choices.

Mushrooms are another common topping on many pizzas in the United States.  White mushrooms are used more frequently by many commercial pizza companies and are mild in flavor.  Other varieties of mushrooms that can be found on pizza menus are portabella, oyster and crimini just to name a few.  Whether the mushrooms used on a pizza are common or gourmet, they add a great earthy taste to any pizza.

Peppers are one of the most popular vegetable toppings requested on pizza.  The green pepper can be found on top of many pizzas across the country.  Even though the green pepper is the most common, the variety of peppers used can vary be which region of the country the pizza is made in.  The flavors of peppers can be hot and spicy to sweet and mild in flavor and texture.

American pizza toppings can be as simple as just plain cheese to “one with everything”.  The toppings described above are the most common found in the United States.  Even though the most popular toppings may change over the years, one thing remains the same, Americans love their pizza.