Ten surprising things you’ll find on pizzas around the world

You can put anything on a pizza, but these toppings are enjoyed on a national scale.

SQUID INK, JAPAN

Japan has practically cornered the market in odd pizzas, with eel, seaweed, miso paste and mayonnaise among the most popular flavours. Squid pizza is especially loved. Ikasumi or squid ink is incorporated into the tomato base for its mildly fishy taste and arresting black colour, which makes the pizza look burnt. The pizza is then topped with slices of squid, producing perhaps the world’s only black-and-white pizza.

CANNED TUNA, GERMANY

Tuna fish is such a staple of German pizzas that it appears in pizza chains such as Domino’s and Pizza Hut, and in the frozen aisle of supermarkets. The classic variety comes with red capsicum, red onion and oregano, but sometimes with extras whose salty flavours pair well with canned tuna, such as artichoke hearts or black olives. Tuna on pizza isn’t uncommon elsewhere, either.

COCONUT, COSTA RICA

Don’t dismiss the notion of adding fresh shaved coconut flakes to pizza: its sweetness is a great counterbalance to the saltiness, and long predates the current fashion for sweet-salty dishes. It also provides a somewhat unusual texture. Coconut is usually found in combination with shrimps. You can go the whole hog in Costa Rica, since coconut appears in many dishes, not just desserts.

SHAWARMA, NETHERLANDS

Shawarma (more commonly referred to as kebab in Australia) is spit-roasted, Middle Eastern sliced meat normally eaten in a wrap. But the Dutch love chicken shawarma on their pizzas. Black olives and red onion are added, and the pizza sometimes drizzled with garlic yogurt or tahini after it comes out of the oven. The Dutch are also partial to chips topped with shawarma and melted Gouda cheese.

FISH, RUSSIA

Anchovy or salmon might be as far as fish goes on most pizzas, but not in Russia, where the Moscow pizza is divided into quarters that feature mackerel, sardines, tuna and salmon. The whole pizza is then garnished with fish roe, herbs and onion – and often eaten cold. Other common toppings on Russian pizzas? Sour cream, mayonnaise, sliced hard-boiled egg and, for those feeling flush, caviar or truffle.

SATAY, INDONESIA

Nothing says southeast Asia like satay, but putting it pizza? Why not. Chicken satay pizza, which usually also has hot chillies and onion, is popular enough in Indonesia to appear on the menus of mainstream American pizza chains. The Indonesians also have a liking for various Asian fusion flavours on pizzas, including kimchi and bulgogi from South Korea, tom-yum paste from Thailand, and salmon teriyaki from Japan.

PEAS, BRAZIL

Thin-crust pizza is popular in this country of late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century Italian immigrants, though curiously it’s referred to as pizza portuguesa. Italians would recognise the tomato sauce and mozzarella base, but not the eccentric toppings, such as a lurid sprinkling of green peas. Carrot, corn, beetroot and raisins make regular appearances too. Dessert pizzas are also popular, and ordering a half-sweet half-savoury pizza not uncommon.

SPAGHETTI, NEW ZEALAND

In 2017 New Zealand’s prime minister Bill English shocked the nation with a budget family recipe for pizza topped with tinned spaghetti and pineapple, which he posted on Facebook. But he soon found support from those willing to try it, and in 2019 Domino’s Pizza launched a limited-edition Hawaiian Spaghetti Pizza across New Zealand. Time will tell if this concoction ever becomes established as a national favourite.

PICKLED GINGER, INDIA

Asians tend to favour local toppings on their pizzas, and Indians in particular are adept at adding domestic flavours to this international fast-food favourite. Indian pizzas, influenced by paratha flatbreads, tend to be more vegetable-oriented and spicier, and use local ingredients such as paneer and tandoori meats. One of the most popular toppings is pickled ginger, a southern Indian paste that also contains tamarind and various spices.

BANANAS, SWEDEN

Many people think pineapple on pizza takes things too far, but when the Swedish Institute and Visit Sweden conducted a poll in 2017 the response was definitive: the most distinctively Swedish pizza is topped by an unholy trifecta of pineapple, banana and curry powder. It’s often called the Tropicana, but other variations are known as the Afrikana, Karibien or Bombay depending on whether they also feature peanuts, chicken or ham.