Pizza, to most of us, is a pretty specific thing. Crust, cheese, probably pepperoni, or maybe some basil if you’re feeling fancy. But maybe simplicity doesn’t always give pizza its full range of expression. After all, it’s basically the blank canvas of food; a little of this, a little of that, and you can create a unique masterpiece. These pizzas from countries all over the world have definitely pushed the boundaries of the art of pizza. Some might make you gag, some might make you salivate—like art, it’s all subjective.
1. Scotland: Haggis Pizza
For the uninitiated, haggis is the organs of a sheep which have been ground up with spices and stuffed into the sheep’s stomach for cooking. It’s a pizza with heart. And lungs. And liver. You can get one at Cosmo’s Pizza in Scotland.
2. Japan: Hamburger And Hot Dog Pizza
Pizza Hut Japan answered the question “should I have pizza, burgers, hotdogs or weird salad for dinner?” by putting them all on one spectacular-looking pie. We would expect nothing less from the people who gave us more than 40 Kit Kat flavors .
3. Singapore: Crispy Cornflakes Pizza
Pizza Hut for the win again! The chain’s Singapore branches serve up a cornflake-coated crust stuffed with three cheeses. It’s advertised as the pizza of a prosperous New Year, and so dubbed “The Ring of Fortune.”
4. California: Sushi Pizza
Sushi and pizza flavors come together in California, because of course they do. This one mixes mozzarella, rice, avocado, salmon and hoisin served on a lemon slice “crust.” It’s found at Fuji Sushi in San Jose. Though it may be a stretch to call this pizza, we’ll allow it for deliciousness points alone.
5. Australia: Kangaroo and Emu Meat Pizza
The Aussie appeal of this pizza isn’t just the kangaroo and emu meat—it also has all kinds of uniquely Australian flavors, like native berries and peppers. Wait, can we just back up for a second and talk about how this pizza is topped with kangaroo and emu? Awesome. It’s a real food adventure that you can get all over Sydney.
6. Russia: Mockba Pizza
What is mockba, you ask? Well, it’s a pungent little cocktail of sardines, salmon, mackerel, tuna, onions and spices that is all the rage in Russia. It’s also a pizza topping staple, so you won’t have to go far to find it—in fact, you’ll probably be able to smell it from miles away.
7. Budapest: Corn and Pea Pizza
When you order a veggie pizza in Budapest, you get a healthy heaping of peas, corn, and olives—not unlike an American frozen meal. We only wonder—should it be called a Peazza?
8. Korea: Steak and Potatoes Pizza
We would have pegged this pizza as something totally American, but it’s actually a popular menu item at a joint called Mr. Pizza in Makati City, South Korea. It starts out with a cream cheese base on a dessert-like mocha bun crust, and then gets loaded with steak and potatoes. It’s also the home of the Eggta Pizza, an egg tart-crust with cheese, tomatoes, steak and custard, and a bulgogi pizza—which makes much more sense.
9. Sweden: Ham, Banana, Pineapple and Curry Pizza
Here’s the classic Hawaiian with a twist. Aside from the pineapple and ham, this pie from Sweden also has bananas and curry spices on it, mingling sweet and savory. Banana on a pizza—who knew?
10. Ireland: Sausage And Egg Pizza
At a popular Dublin pizza parlor called Mizzoni’s , you can get a pile of wonderful called “Original Irish Pizza.” According to the official website, it consists of sausage, bacon, fresh tomato, egg and crushed black pepper. Oddly, there is no Guinness or potatoes in sight.
