Pepperoni Pizza Day Date in the current year: September 20, 2024

Although pizza is a quintessential Italian dish, pepperoni pizza is actually an American invention. Pepperoni is a variety of spicy salami that originated in New York City in the early 20th century. It was created by Italian immigrants who based it on spicy sausages common in southern Italy such as salsiccia and soppressata. The name “pepperoni” derives from peperoni (singular peperone), Italian for bell peppers (fitting since pepperoni is flavored with paprika).

Like other types of salami, pepperoni is a cured dry sausage made with fermented and air-dried meat, typically pork or a mixture of pork and beef. The main differences between pepperoni and spicy Italian salamis it is based on are that pepperoni is less spicy, has a finer grain, and usually has an artificial casing rather than one made from animal intestines. Uncooked pepperoni is soft and bright red due to containing paprika and being cured with nitrates or nitrites.

Since pepperoni was inspired by Italian cuisine and created by Italian immigrants, it was only a matter of time before someone started to use it as a pizza topping. It is unclear who was the first to make a pepperoni pizza, but the earliest evidence of pepperoni used as a pizza topping is a photo of a menu at a pizzeria in New Haven, Connecticut that was taken in 1950.

Today, sliced pepperoni is one of the most popular pizza toppings in the United States, probably even the most popular one, excluding cheese. According to statistics, 36% of Americans add pepperoni to their pizza orders. Every year, they consume more than 250 million pounds of pepperoni on pizza.

Back in the day, pepperoni was made in a natural casing. Due to this, pepperoni slices had a tendency to curl up in the heat of an oven, with hot grease collecting in the resulting small cups with charred edges. As pizza shops began to rely more on commercial suppliers, they started to use pepperoni in an artificial casing that is stripped from the sausage before slicing. This type of pepperoni does not curl in the pizza oven.

Most pizzerias in the United States use non-curling pepperoni as a topping, but the traditional “cup and char” style is still popular in parts of the Midwest, particularly around Buffalo, New York and Cleveland, Ohio. “Cup and char” pizza, also known as “roni cup” pizza, is more expensive than regular pepperoni pizza because it doesn’t use the readily available commercial pepperoni.

The origins of Pepperoni Pizza Day, sometimes referred to as National Pepperoni Pizza Day or even International Pepperoni Pizza Day, are unclear, but you shouldn’t let it stop you from celebrating. You can enjoy a slice or two of pepperoni pizza from your favorite pizza place, make your own pizza at home, host a pizza party for your friends and family, and spread the word about the holiday on social media with the hashtag #PepperoniPizzaDay.