The next big pizza battle has come: It involves pepperoni, and whether the slices should lay flat or cup upwards and collect all that delicious pizza grease. Maybe it’s not as polarizing as the “square vs. round,” “New York vs. Chicago,” or “pineapple” debates, but…there are definite opinions.
A century ago, the pepperoni would cup, and that’s just the way it was. Then, there was a shift in the pizza universe.
- The national chains, for decades, made the flat, silver dollar-sized pepperoni the standard. Critics thought that style just tended to lay there, looking all bland and unappealing, even though the flavor’s as outstanding as you’d expect.
- Then, in about 2012, the cupping pepperoni started making a comeback. Devotees of “the cup” base their love on mostly aesthetic reasoning. First, you can get more pepperoni on the pie, but don’t put so many that you overpower it. Secondly, the burnt edges give more flavor…according to some.
- Then, there’s the grease. Some cup-lovers think the grease that pools-up inside adds more to the taste and just plain looks delicious. They also say that pizza with cupped pepperoni just looks tastier, inviting, and less bland – like pizza in 3-D.
The battle lines have been drawn. Choose your side but be prepared to back it up.
Source:Wall Street Journal