The landscape of pizza toppings is continually evolving, and 2023 has seen its share of novel trends. At Crust & Craft Pizzeria, keeping a finger on the pulse of pizza enthusiasts' preferences worldwide is part of our commitment. Here is our curated list of the most prominent and beloved pizza toppings for this year.
1. Fermented Vegetables
As the interest in digestive health grows, pizzerias are now offering fermented vegetables as sought-after toppings. The inclusion of kimchi, sauerkraut, and pickled onions is adding a layer of complex, tangy flavor profiles that harmonize with the savory cheese and sauce. In addition to their probiotic qualities, these fermented additions bring a new textural experience to the pizza.
Our Fermentation Fiesta pizza is topped with in-house-prepared sauerkraut, kimchi, and gorgonzola cheese, all rounded off with a sweet drizzle of local honey. While this might sound like an unusual combo, it's rapidly becoming one of our top specialty pizzas.
2. Plant-Based Proteins
The trend towards plant-based diets isn't slowing down, and we've noticed a significant uptick in the request for pizzas topped with inventive meat substitutes. Moving past the conventional veggie toppings, the advent of plant-derived proteins has opened up options that even impress the most ardent meat fans.
Items like plant-based Italian sausage bits, seasoned tempeh, jackfruit pulled pork, and pea protein pepperoni are now staples on our menu. And it's not just vegetarians enjoying these—many patrons opt for these proteins for both their distinct tastes and their easier digestibility.
3. Regional Chili Varieties
Those who like it hot are in for a treat, as 2023 has greeted pizza aficionados with the appreciation for distinct regional chili peppers over the typical crushed red pepper. Calabrian chilies are still a favorite from past years, but now we're finding spices like Aleppo pepper, smoky Spanish ñora, Peruvian aji amarillo, and Korean gochujang as flavorful pizza additions.
Our Global Heat Wave pizza packs a punch with a selection of four distinct regional chilies, each imparting its distinctive taste to various sections of the pizza. It's become a sought-after choice among our patrons who love a challenge for their taste buds.
4. Seasonal Foraged Ingredients
The connection from wilderness to pizzeria has been made stronger with the growing allure of seasonal foraged ingredients. Leading the charge are wild mushrooms such as chanterelles, morels, and hen of the woods, which find their way onto our pizzas during their respective peak seasons.
Apart from mushrooms, ingredients like wild ramps, seaweeds such as dulse and nori, and even aromatic spruce tips have been explored. These foraged items bring diners closer to nature and offer tastes that are not replicable in cultivated environments.
5. Specialty Honey Drizzles
The interplay of sweet and savory made possible by honey has developed into a well-established choice, not merely a fleeting fad. Progressing from the recent success of spicy honey, 2023 has brought about a rich variety of specialty honeys drizzled over pizzas, adding a final gourmet flourish.
Unique honeys such as truffle-infused, fermented garlic, mesquite, and even honey combined with CBD have made their way onto pizza menus nationwide. These nuanced touches enhance and sophisticate even the most straightforward pizza combinations.
Honorable Mentions
Several other toppings that just narrowly missed making our top list but are still creating buzz include:
- Cured egg yolks finely grated over pizza for a rich umami taste
- Pickled stone fruits like peaches and cherries adding a tangy twist
- Heritage grains such as crispy farro or popped sorghum for added texture
- Artisan crafted butter varieties, especially cultured or combined with herbs
No matter if you're a staunch traditionalist or someone willing to explore progressive flavor mixtures, pizza remains an incredibly flexible and universally cherished dish. At Crust & Craft Pizzeria, we pay homage to timeless classics while also welcoming the new—that's why our offerings range from the essential Margherita to avant-garde specialty creations.
Have you sampled any of these on-the-rise toppings? Or perhaps you have a special topping blend in mind that you'd love to see on our menu? Let us know by leaving a comment or visiting us!