The humanity of pizza pie is full of age - old rivalry : New York vs. Chicago , thin vs. thick , people who close their pizza vs. me . topping might be the one aspect of pizza pie that is truly subjective to personal gustatory perception , which means I ’m in an excellent position to make some bluff claims . Now you may ask , " What makes this bozo qualified to tell me the good affair to put on my pizza ? " Well , I might not be one of these pizza masters , butI have been eating pizza in a professional capacity for nearly seven days .
I ’ve spent significant time in the world ’s three pizza Mecca ( NY , Chicago , and Italy),tasted every frozen brand , study thehistory of major chainsandmom - and - pops , anddevoured every terrible late - nighttime slicing in Austin . Also , when I worked at a crappy pizza pie stick in college we had contests to see who could toss dough the high , which I won . doubly .
As I see it , I have more pizza pie certification than 99 % of the nation , which have this ranking of the 26 most pop pizza topping at least 1 % valid .
Dan Gentile/Thrillist
26. Ham
I only consume ham in sandwiches and on holidays . Pizza is neither .
25. Broccoli
Broccoli is dear ally with many different cheeses , but mozzarella is not one of them .
24. Chicken
The greatest of breaded and deep-fried proteins , the king of the rotisserie , the Lord of eggs both fluid and fry . For all this and more we owe the chicken a debt of gratitude to be repaid by never putting it on a pizza , because it does n’t summate anything except $ 3 to the bill .
23. Green bell peppers
These scantily characterise as a pepper . As a textural element I can see the solicitation , but the same flavor could be reach by rinsing spinach plant and dripping a few greenish water system drops onto a slice .
22. Cilantro
I survive in Texas where the only thing we ’re liberal about is cilantro use , but this just is n’t the veracious herbaceous plant for a pizza unless you ’re going full - blow fusion .
21. Meatball
have ’s get this out of the way now : nitty-gritty in oecumenical did n’t get along well on this ranking . It ’s not because I ’m a spineless vegan or am train kickback from Big Vegetable , but because most marrow overcome a slice and provide a sebaceous residue that compromises the flavor of the cheeseflower . In shortsighted , keep your orchis off my pizza pie .
20. Bacon
Let ’s pull through bacon for where it belong : on every other food except pizza pie .
19. Green olives
Basically the diet adaptation of blackened olives .
18. Pineapple
Once considered a tropical foreigner , the Hawaiian pie is now an accepted member of the distinctiveness pizza canon based purely on the military capability of this one topping . But influence alone is not enough to change the fact that I do n’t require a sweet chunk of fruit on my slice .
17. Onions
They sum up stank and little else .
16. Anchovies
The swop - off for the anchovy ’s monumental umami encouragement is that it smashes through every other factor , pull in the piece nothing more than a vehicle for salty fish . Not that there ’s anything wrong with that once in a while , but the strong savour is just too strong to outrank any higher .
15. Mushrooms
I fuck mushroom , but typically these are so lightly shredded and ill marinate that all they add is a spongey mouthfeel and earthy aftertaste .
14. Sausage
The breadth of meats that flow under the category of " blimp " make this a sturdy call . Mystery crumbles are perhaps my least favorite improver to a pizza pie , but a nice clump of oregano - spiced sausage makes a simple piece feel like a meal .
13. Garlic
Vampires and French - kiss experts might disagree , but roasted garlic adds a welcome , acrid punch to a traditional pizza tone profile .
12. Jalapeño
It could be fence that red white pepper flakes achieve the same end without a surcharge , but the spicery of a fresh jalapeño just ca n’t be emulated in dry frame . Jalapeños are far less appealing pickled , but still put green bell peppers to shame .
11. Tomato
I love a slice of a Roma because it complements the sauce and adds some dead body .
10. Spinach
Spinach represent well with tomato plant sauce and is comparatively healthy .
9. Black olives
I did n’t savour olives until I was sometime enough to rent a car , and I suspect I ’m not the only one who call for 25 years to prize the funky complexity . The distinctness has the potentiality to overcome milder cheese , but a nice boneheaded mozz benefits well from the special bed of salt . The risk and rewards are doubled in the lawsuit of kalamatas .
8. Roasted bell pepper
It ’s about as crunchy as its green cousin , but actually has tang .
7. Salami
Salami is like pepperoni ’s gimcrack , more opinionated liberal chum that just get back from studying abroad and require to cheek - kiss everyone hello . But it ’s so delicious that you let it .
6. Banana peppers
Pizza and pickle rarely collide , but banana peppers make a solid typeface for their go on marriage .
5. Sun-dried tomatoes
No other vegetable offers quite the volley of flavor as a sun - dry tomato . I conceive it an " event topping " that slows down the eating operation and force you to enjoy each bite , rather than just set your tooth to autopilot and mindlessly making a slash disappear .
4. Artichoke
Pizza shop typically divide their non - meat topping into two distinct class : plebeian veggies like Alexander Melville Bell peppers and more expensive glamour vegetable . In the case of artichoke , that spare dollar live on a long path . It is n’t as knock-down as most of the other vegetables on the lean , its piquant nicety make it more of a supporting player . If it could shoot the three , it would be the Steve Kerr of toppings .
3. Prosciutto
This was almost rolled into the ham family , but they ’re truly dissimilar brute . The curing process bring saltiness without the sickliness , a silky textural element , and defeat the Easter Sunday aftertaste found in other hams . It also lend a clear-cut air of grown - up - ness to an otherwise infantile nutrient .
2. Pepperoni
Italian purists might gibe at heaping such extolment on a foreign - deliver topping and everyone else might yell at me for not ranking it turn one , but pepperoni is number two because it perfectly represents the gluttonous side of pizza pie .
Its history is nebular , but theNY Timestraces its first written record to 1919 and by all practical account it was design specifically for the American slice . The mysterious writing of the meat subtly tricks the brain into a savoury lull and the lubricating oil acts as a much - want crutch for mediocre cheeses . It ’s blue , mouth-watering , piquant , sweet , and saturnine , all at once . It hurt me to rank it second , but there ’s more to pizza than just a sloppy make - out session with a greasy cut …
1. Fresh basil
Gluttony is one of pizza ’s two human face , the other is Old World elegance . Let me paint you a picture show of a wood - fired oven on a rolled Roman hillside . There is a sunset that belongs on the side of a bottle of EVOO , worm of unidentified source chirp but do n’t bite , and a beautiful woman with an Olea europaea complexion pours another trash of crimson wine-colored from a bottomless carafe engraved with your initials ( how did she know ? ! ) . She then bites into a while of pizza pie top with … giant cerise polka dots of beef cattle / pork ?
Nope ! It ’s basil on that pizza pie , a simple aromatic herbaceous plant that brings out the natural sweetness of the tomato plant , does n’t hog the spotlight from the dairy farm , and makes an otherwise unhealthful repast taste like something that will make you live forever . It ’s an aspirational topping that elevates and refreshes even frozen slices like no other topping .
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Dan Gentile/Thrillist
Dan Gentile/Thrillist
Dan Gentile/Thrillist
Dan Gentile/Thrillist
Dan Gentile/Thrillist
Dan Gentile/Thrillist
Dan Gentile/Thrillist
