pepperoni

pepperoni, a beef and pork blend, cured with various spices and then smoked or air-dried. Because of this specific method of preparation, pepperoni is a type of salami. However, pepperoni differs from traditional salami because of its fine-grained texture, distinctive spicy flavor (a result of adding such ingredients as garlic, black and cayenne pepper, and chili flakes), and bright red color, which comes from paprika. The first recorded use of pepperoni was by Italian Americans in New York City in 1919; however, the food’s origin is more generally traced to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term peperoni in Italian actually means “bell peppers,” the main ingredient in paprika. In Italy, a pepperoni pizza is one topped with peppers. Pepperoni, usually in the form of round slices, is the most popular American pizza topping.

Curing meat is the process of treating raw meat with salt, sugar, and nitrite. Decreasing the water content of meat keeps it safe from harmful microbes. This allows the final product to keep for long periods of time, enabling transportation and long-term storage. After the meat is cured, it is fermented. In this process the meat is exposed to beneficial bacteria that consume sugars and produce lactic acid, which is crucial for creating the meat’s characteristic tangy flavor.

Italian dishes are known for being distinctive to different regions of Italy. There are as many different types of salami in Italy as there are different regions. It is speculated that pepperoni originated as an attempt by Italian American immigrants to make a southern Italian salami, which traditionally contains dried chiles. Without access to these chiles, Italian American immigrants may have taken to paprika, widely available in America, for its spicy flavor. Pepperoni also differs from traditional Italian salami, as it is a blend of beef and pork, rather than pork alone.

Pepperoni’s history is entwined with that of pizza in America. Just as the creation of pepperoni was an attempt of Italian American immigrants at creating an equivalent of traditional salami, the same can be said of American pizza as compared to its Italian counterpart. This led to such customs as substituting dried oregano for fresh basil. When pizza became widely popular as American cuisine about the 1950s, pizza-makers turned to pepperoni because it was cheap to produce and had a long shelf life, which made it easy to transport. As a result, pepperoni was so commonly used on pizza that it became a necessary staple.

There are now several types of pepperoni, differing by the type of meat used, the mode of preparation, and other factors. Although it is traditionally served in thin slices, pepperoni is also sold and eaten as sticks. This iteration of pepperoni is associated with the pepperoni roll, a West Virginian delicacy. The pepperoni roll is simply a stick or slices of pepperoni baked into a loaf of bread. The pepperoni roll was probably invented by the wives of Italian immigrant coal miners as a convenient meal. It was first commercially produced in 1927 by Giuseppe Argiro and gained quick popularity. In 2021 the West Virginia House of Representatives passed a bill declaring the pepperoni roll the state’s official food item.

Pepperoni is, by a wide margin, the most popular pizza topping. According to a poll conducted by Business Insider analyzing the toppings people preferred on their pizza, 36 percent of people chose pepperoni, while only 14 percent chose sausage, the next most popular topping.