Forget pineapple - Do grapes belong on pizza?
🕒 6 min read
In early March, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver posted a photo to Instagram that nearly broke the internet: pizza topped with grapes (above).
The versatile fruit proved to be as divisive a garnish as pineapple, while others have been getting away with it for years - figs, often paired with prosciutto and balsamic; pears, a popular partner to gorgonzola and walnuts. The pineapple debate rages on, even spurring its own hashtag on social media: #pineapplebelongsonpizza.
Grapes, of all things, appear to have pushed the limit, begging the question(s): What constitutes an acceptable topping? Is anything scattered across dough considered pizza? And when has it gone too far?
Anything goes
Ingredients that may have raised eyebrows just a few years ago, are now perfectly acceptable atop a crust, no matter its thick- or thinness. Take Salt & Tobacco’s Lil' Cabbagetown, featuring not one, but two items that are likely to cause contention: Brussels sprouts and blue cheese. Same goes for the polarizing Broccoli Stilton by Pizza Del Arte.
Big Trouble Pizza’s Butter Jam Jam goes in a different direction, keeping things traditional with mozzarella until swaths of butter cream and raspberry jam arrive to the party.
Fowl play
Barbecue chicken has been a mainstay since the mid-80s without causing fury, and buffalo/chipotle/jerk/pesto varieties have been conventional for what seems like forever.
Pizza Hut’s recent launch of limited-time “culinary masterpiece” KFC Popcorn Chicken Pizza in Canada however, takes poultry pizza to the extreme: KFC gravy, topped with cheese, sweet corn, and Popcorn Chicken on a pan crust.
Photo courtesy of Maker Pizza. Return of the Mac.
Meat market
Scan a pizza shop’s menu and you’ll find heaps of pepperoni and deli meat to choose from. Ground beef has been making inroads over the years - on taco-esque iterations such as those by Regino’s Pizza, Slice of the 6ix, and aptly named Toppings.
Then there’s the ever popular burger-cum-pizza. Big House Pizza, shuttered in 2019, made headlines years ago for The John A. MacDonald festooned with ground all-beef patties, cheddar, pickles, and onions on a season seed crust, topped with lettuce and special sauce. Others have joined in on the fun, including Big Brothers Gourmet Pizza and Maker Pizza.
Independent spots aren’t the only ones staking a claim on the mashup: Domino’s introduced the Cheeseburger (and Chicken Taco) to their lineup last fall.
Cut above
“Meat lover” options that verge on ginormous open-faced sandos are prevalent across the GTA. The Big Greek at Milano’s Pizza in Etobicoke boasts sliced gyro, while Markham’s Slice of Fire offers two selections that despite their shape, could be mistaken for delectable sarnies: Montreal Steak and Philly Cheese Steak.
New collab by celebrity chef Massimo Capra and Paramount Fine Foods CEO Mohamad Fakih - Masemo Pizza by Paramount - centers a pie around beef basterma, an Armenian air-cured spiced beef, while Texas style smoke house The BarBQ Factory in East York pulls out all the stops, with pizzas blanketed in smoked meat including pulled pork, brisket, pulled lamb, and pork ribs.
No passport required
Fusion concoctions are de rigeur these days. Why stick with traditional ingredients when you can get the best of both worlds? Most chains offer versions well outside the Italian lines these days, but standalones are paving the way to the new world with their epic creations.
Photo courtesy of Saints Island Pies. Chicken Adobo Island Pie.
Detroit-style pies with “island flavour” by Saints Island Pies includes Filipino staple Chicken Adobo, and an ode to breakfast decked out in Longanisa sausage and fried egg. And Descendant Detroit Style Pizza’s Sri Lankan journey – aka Jaffna – showcases components that you wouldn’t expect in a pizzeria, save for the Calabrian chilis: kothu roti, mango chutney, cilantro cream, green onion, cilantro, and coconut sambol.
The Parlour’s Yaletown, adorned with Ahi tuna, red onion, green onion, avocado, jalapeno, cilantro, and spicy aioli, is one of the few sushi pizzas you’ll find outside of a Japanese restaurant.
And you’ve got to act fast for Pizza Conzo’s non-traditional pies - they’re available as specials only. Did you miss their jerk-style jaunt? The epic Chinese New Year drop? Psst. More unconventional wonders coming soon…
Worlds collide
Another popular hybrid these days brings a wildly unexpected dish together with your beloved ‘za.
The Holy Duck by newcomer Church of Pizza is unapologetically duck poutine on pizza: beef gravy sauce, mozzarella cheese, cheese curds, shaved smoked duck breast, French fries, caramelized onions, and chives, topped with their signature bulb of roasted garlic.
Photo courtesy of Mel’s Pizza. Clam Pasta Pizza.
Haligonian import Jessy's Pizza gets namechecked for its donair pie all the time, but the Chicken Caesar featuring all the salad fixings including Caesar dressing and bacon bits, is just as noteworthy.
Italian for Vegan’s Smoked Salmon pizza bianco with olive oil, smoked carrot, cream “cheese” (cashew based), capers, and red onions is serious bagel vibes whether it’s pizza night or midday brunch. Goldy lox indeed.
New arrival Mel’s Pizza brings your love of pasta and pizza together, one convenient slice at a time with Clam Pasta Pizza. Clams and angel hair pasta tossed in vodka sauce fortified with clam liquor, set atop dough shellacked with garlic butter and housemade seafood seasoning, finished with pecorino, fresh parsley, and lemon wedge, is the very definition of carboloading. The only catch? You need a password to access it.
Pizzeria Via Mercanti’s eponymous double decker features ricotta, prosciutto cotto, mushroom medley, hot soppressata, finished with… a whole Margherita pie.
Maybe a few l’il grapes don’t seem so out of place after all.
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