Ordering This Pizza in Italy? You Might Be In for a Shock!

It only takes one word to turn a lunch into a complete misunderstanding. Travelers often learn this the hard way: a false friend, a hastily made translation, or a mispronunciation can mean the difference between what you thought you ordered and what actually shows up on your plate.

Pizza is no exception to this rule. While Italy is undeniably the birthplace of pizza, not all of its varieties originated there. Some versions have crossed the Atlantic to adapt to American tastes—sometimes questionably—before taking on the world. Over the decades, these adaptations have gained such popularity that they are now mistakenly believed to be authentically Italian. As a result, the same pizza name can refer to two quite different toppings depending on where you are.

Take the case of the pepperoni pizza. In both France and the United States, it typically comes topped with generous slices of spicy sausage, whose edges curl up slightly from the heat. Many travelers, therefore, expect to find the same recipe in a Roman or Neapolitan trattoria. That’s exactly where the confusion starts.

As Giuseppe, the owner of the Italian restaurant La Siciliana in Enghien-les-Bains, explains on Instagram, the term pepperoni actually means “peppers” in Italian. So, if you order a pepperoni pizza in Italy, you’re likely to get a pizza loaded with strips of bell peppers… and not a slice of meat in sight. So, no point in blaming the pizza maker, who is just following your order to the letter.

So, what should you ask for if you want the pepperoni pizza you’re familiar with? Giuseppe recommends saying (in your best Italian accent): “Vorrei una pizza con il salame piccante”, which translates to “I would like a pizza with spicy salami.” This should clear up any confusion… and spare you the surprise of ending up with a bell pepper feast on a crust!