Pepperoni

Preparation

Sliced thin for standard use; cup-and-char style pepperoni (Buffalo, New York) is cut thicker to hold its shape and pool oil as it crisps; Windsor-style pizza instead shreds it, spreading the fat release over a larger surface area specifically to avoid the grease pooling that thicker cuts produce

Releases significant rendered fat during baking; heavy coverage can make the surface greasy

Applied before baking.

Cautions

• combined with other very salty toppings, can push a pizza too far into oversalted territory

History and cultural context

An Italian-American invention, not an Italian import — no cured meat by this name is traditional in Italy itself (the Italian word 'peperoni' means bell peppers). It was developed by Italian immigrant butchers in the United States in the early 20th century as a spicier, softer, more shelf-stable American-style salami-adjacent product suited to pizza topping.

Traditional regions: United States

The single most popular pizza topping in the United States by wide consensus among industry and consumer-survey sources, and closely associated internationally with 'American-style' pizza specifically.

Extremely popular in the US and widely exported internationally as a recognisable topping choice on commercial/chain pizza, though not a traditional topping on any Italian regional style in this catalogue.

Also known as: Pepperoni (US)

• American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza — Ten Speed Press

If you cannot get it

• If you cannot get American pepperoni

  What can I use instead of pepperoni outside the United States?

• If you do not eat pork

  What cured meat toppings work on pizza without pork?

Pairs well with

• Pineapple

  Its low salt level offsets Pepperoni's intensity. Its acidity cuts through Pepperoni's richness. Its sweetness balances Pepperoni's savoury intensity. Provides a cooling contrast to Pepperoni's heat. Adds textural contrast against Pepperoni.

• Fig

  Its low salt level offsets Pepperoni's intensity. Its sweetness balances Pepperoni's savoury intensity. Provides a cooling contrast to Pepperoni's heat. Adds textural contrast against Pepperoni.

• Fresh tomato slices

  Its low salt level offsets Pepperoni's intensity. Its acidity cuts through Pepperoni's richness. Provides a cooling contrast to Pepperoni's heat. Adds textural contrast against Pepperoni.

• Sliced banana

  Its low salt level offsets Pepperoni's intensity. Its sweetness balances Pepperoni's savoury intensity. Provides a cooling contrast to Pepperoni's heat. Adds textural contrast against Pepperoni.

• Honey (post-bake drizzle)

  Its low salt level offsets Pepperoni's intensity. Its sweetness balances Pepperoni's savoury intensity. Provides a cooling contrast to Pepperoni's heat. Best added fresh after baking, for brightness against Pepperoni.

• Fried egg (post-bake)

  Its low salt level offsets Pepperoni's intensity. Provides a cooling contrast to Pepperoni's heat. Adds textural contrast against Pepperoni. Best added fresh after baking, for brightness against Pepperoni.

Styles using this topping

• New York-style pizzaCommonly usedWell established

  The most common single topping choice, its rendered fat and crisped edges pairing well with the cheese-forward base.

• Detroit-style pizzaCommonly usedGenerally accepted

  Renders and crisps against the hot steel pan when placed beneath the cheese layer.

  Often placed under the cheese so it cups and crisps rather than sitting on top.

• Sicilian-American pizzaCommonly usedGenerally accepted

  A common, widely available topping choice for this thick pan style.

• Windsor-style pizzaDefiningWell established

  A defining, deliberately grease-avoidant preparation that distinguishes this style's pepperoni from every other American pizza tradition.

• Chip shop pizza (deep-fried pizza)Commonly usedLimited evidence

  A simple, widely available topping choice on the small pre-made base most chip shops start from before battering and frying whole.

• New England bar pizzaCommonly usedGenerally accepted

  A common single-topping choice for this small, individual-format tavern pizza.

• School cafeteria-style sheet pizzaCommonly usedGenerally accepted

  The most common single topping choice, kept simple in line with this style's comforting, familiar identity.

• Buffalo-style pizzaDefiningWell established

  A defining textural feature of this style, its curled, crisped edges distinguishing it from flat-lying New York-style pepperoni.

• Chicago pizza puffCommonly usedGenerally accepted

  The other traditional meat filling choice, alternating with sausage inside the sealed, fried wrapper.

How it behaves on a pizza

How preparation changes what this ingredient contributes to the bake and the flavour.

• Why some pepperoni cups and chars and some lies flat

  Cupping happens when a slice has a natural casing that shrinks faster than the meat as it heats, pulling the edges upward. Large-diameter, skinless pepperoni has nothing to pull the edges up, so it stays flat and releases its fat across the pizza instead of collecting it.