Topping Your Pizza like an Italian

In Italy, pizza toppings are not exactly limited, but there are a few rules. For example, only meats made with pork are acceptable on an authentic Italian pizza. Salami, prosciutto, ham, sausage – all are pork. Chicken and beef are not used. Beef is rarely seen on top of pizza. Even bresaola, a thin sliced (sliced paper thin, like proscuitto) is hard to find on a pizza.

As far as vegetables and cheeses go, there seemingly is no limit to what Italians might find appetizing on top of their pizzas.

Common Meats - Sausages and Salumi

• Salamino- From Emilia Romagna, a spicy sausage (similar to American pepperoni), containing lots of paprika and dried pepper flakes.
• Prosciutto Cotto- Cooked Ham
• Prosciutto Crudo- Raw Ham
• Salsiccia- Sausage (many types)
• Sfilacci di Cavallo- Shredded Horse Meat
• Speck – Cured, smoked Bacon - (similar to prosciutto)
• Pancetta- Cured Pork/bacon
• Porchetta – stuffed Pork roll
• Wurstel – Hot-dog-like sausage (northern Italy)

Cheeses/Dairy Products

• Mozzarella – You know this one!
  
• Gorgonzola- Aged blue-cheese like
• Marscapone- Italian triple-creamed cheese
• Grana- Hard aged white cheese
• Asiago- White cheese,  fresh or aged
• Stracchino- Soft Creamy Cheese
• Bufala-Buffalo Mozzarella
• Scamorza- Semi-soft White Cheese
• Panna – Cream
• Ricotta - fresh soft cheese
  

Vegetables

• Pomodoro, Pomodorini – Tomato
• Piselli – Peas
• Patate – Potato
• Funghi – Mushrooms
• Porcini – Porcini Mushrooms
• Olive Nero – Black Olive
• Rucola – Green vegetable like lettuce
• Carciofi – Artichoke
• Melanzane- Eggplant
• Pepperoni – Green Peppers
• Peperoncino – Hot Peppers
• Vedure Miste – Mixed Vegetables
• Sottaceto Cetriolino - Small, Gherkin type pickles
  

--Jerry Finzi

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