Pizzas are probably the ultimate comfort food, as many people would say it's their favorite dish. Yet they can often also be a topic of contention, especially where toppings are concerned. According to a YouGov poll, Americans' favorite pizza topping is pepperoni. And which one do they like the least? Apparently, anchovies take the crown.
People feel pretty strongly about the kind of pie they like, so, pizza crimes is a pretty popular topic online. Today, we're featuring a Facebook page dedicated to all things bizarre that relate to pizzas: "Pizzas with Threatening Auras." So, get ready to scroll and see some pizza weirdness!
Bored Panda reached out to the pizza connoisseur on the Internet and founder of Scott's Pizza Tours Scott Wiener. We chatted about why pizza is one of our society's greatest culinary achievements, what's the weirdest pizza topping he's ever seen, and why shaming people for liking pineapple on pizza or deep-dish is actually boring. Read his insights below!
Scott's Pizza Tours | YouTube | Instagram | X
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I was so excited to get in touch with Scott Wiener, who's the ultimate pizza guy: a historian, a pizza box collector, host of the show Really Dough?, and founder of Slice Out Hunger and NYC pizza tours. His business Scott's Pizza Tours offers walking tours, bus tours, private tours, and even online pizza classes.
Wiener is also a World Record holder. He has the world's largest collection of pizza boxes, according to Guinness World Records, and even wrote a book about the art of the pizza box, Viva La Pizza. Scott is also the founder of Slice Out Hunger, a charity that funds hunger relief efforts in the U.S.
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Truly, I thought, there is no other person more suited to chat about the art of pizza than Scott Wiener. First, I was really curious to know his thoughts about why pizza has us all in such a chokehold. In 2016, the Picky Eater Blog analyzed the most popular cuisines and meal types in the world based on Instagram tags. The first place, naturally, went to Italy and the pizza.
"Pizza is the great equalizer," Scott Wiener tells us. "Everyone has access to it and it's a food that adapts to any cuisine or cultural tradition. It's also a really fun low-stakes high-passion conversation topic. We can argue about it all day without ruining a friendship."
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Another great thing about pizza is that it's the perfect comfort food. "Pizza's also that food we attach to important celebratory moments all the way back to childhood," Scott tells us. "It's a comfort food that's nostalgic but also perfectly acceptable in just about any social setting.
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"One of pizza’s strongest characteristics is the fact that there isn’t a single agreed-upon recipe for it," Scott says. "Its boundaries are loose so we can customize it however we want while still making what we call "pizza." Not many foods [are] like that!"
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Wiener founded Scott's Pizza Tours in 2008, but he has been a fan of pizza long before that. During his many years as a pizza expert, he's seen many a weird pizza topping. "I’ve had SO many weird pizzas," he tells Bored Panda. "I often judge the non-traditional category at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas and there are wild topping combinations there. I've had peanut butter, elk, alligator, seaweed, and even edible flowers on a pizza."
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Scott was also a host for the YouTube series Really Dough? He took on the role of a pizza enthusiast while his co-host Marc Lacono was the pizza purist. "[It was] all about weird pizzas," Scott tells us. "I ate a ramen pizza, a 24-karat gold pizza, and a pizza donut."
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Okay, Pandas, I'll admit this with my whole chest: I like pineapple on pizza. There, I said it! I like sweet and savory mixed together, okay? Sue me. I know many people consider this a crime against pizza, but isn't it time we retire these old stereotypes? Sure, they can inspire some comedy gems like this Jon Stewart rant, but, ultimately, we should let people enjoy what they like, right?
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Scott Wiener agrees. He tells Bored Panda that he finds pizza controversies quite boring. "If you don't like pineapple on pizza, don't eat it," he doesn't beat around the bush. "If you don't like deep dish, don't eat it. But I'll stand by all these things as legal and valid pizzas. There's nothing you can put on a pizza that somehow nullifies its identity."
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A few years ago, there was also an interesting debate going on online about whether pizza is a healthier breakfast than cereal. In 2018, Nutritionist Chelsea Amer concluded that a slice of pizza can be more nutritious than your favorite sugary cereal.
"There's more protein and fat to balance out the refined carbohydrate crust. Your blood sugar won't spike and then crash in the same fashion as it would with a sugary bowl of cereal, which will leave you [feeling] full and satisfied for a longer period of time," she wrote.
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However, that doesn't mean that you should reach for pizza every morning instead. Not all pizzas are equal, just as not all cereals are the same. "A cereal made with whole grains, nuts or seeds, and fruit with organic grass-fed milk or plant-based milk is a better choice over a grease-laden pizza made with processed meat like pepperoni on a white flour crust," Cynthia Sass MPH, RD told Delish.
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