View source for Pepperoni

{{Short description|American variety of spicy salami}}
{{pp-pc1}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Pepperoni
| image = Pepperoni Pizza (29204589095).jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption = Pepperoni topping on pizza, ready for the oven
| alternate_name = 
| country = [[United States]]
| region = 
| creator = 
| course = 
| type = 
| served = 
| main_ingredient = [[Pork]], [[beef]]
| minor_ingredient = [[Spice]]s
| variations = 
| serving_size = 100g
| calories = 460
| protein = 23
| fat = 40.2
| carbohydrate = 4
}}

'''Pepperoni''' is an [[American cuisine|American]] variety of spicy [[salami]] made from [[Curing (food preservation)|cured]] [[pork]] and [[beef]] seasoned with [[paprika]] and [[chili pepper]]s.

Before cooking, pepperoni is characteristically soft, slightly smoky, and bright red. Sliced pepperoni is one of the most popular pizza toppings in American pizzerias.

Traditionally made pepperonis curl into "cups" in the pizza oven's intense heat; commercialization of the production of pepperoni created slices that would lie flat on the pizza. The curled "cup and char" style of pepperoni remained popular in pockets of the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]].

==Etymology==
The term ''pepperoni'' is a [[Loanword|borrowing]] of ''peperoni'', the plural of ''peperone'', the Italian word for [[bell pepper]]. The first use of ''pepperoni'' to refer to a sausage dates to 1916 at the latest.<ref>{{cite news |title=Fresh from the Smokehouse |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/anchorage-times-pepperoni/148162481/ |work=Anchorage Times |date=October 28, 1916 |location=Anchorage, AK |page=7 |access-date=May 27, 2024 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> In Italian, the word ''[[peperoncino]]'' refers to a [[chili pepper]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}

==History==
The first printed mention of Pepperoni was in 1888 in the Times of London.<ref name=":0" />{{Dubious|talk=History|date=July 2025}} In 1919 it was mentioned as being available in [[New York City]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Kuestenmacher |first=Simon |date=2023 |title=Marvellous Maps: Our changing world in 40 amazing maps |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0JFfEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA78 |publisher=[[Welbeck Publishing Group]] |page=78 |isbn=9781803380247}}</ref> It is a [[Curing (food preservation)|cured]] dry sausage, with similarities to the spicy salamis of [[southern Italy]] on which it is based, such as ''[[salsiccia]]'' or ''[[soppressata]]''.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}} The main differences are that pepperoni is less spicy, has a finer grain (akin to spiceless salami from [[Milan]]), is usually softer in texture, and is usually produced with the use of an [[Casing (sausage)#Artificial casings|artificial casing]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}

==Production==
{{Infobox nutritional value
|name=Pepperoni, pork
|kJ=1940
|protein=20.35 g
|fat=40.2 g
|carbs=4 g
|source_usda=1
}}
Pepperoni is made from pork or from a mixture of pork and beef.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last1=Hui |first1=Yiu H. |last2=Culbertson |first2=J. D. |title=Handbook of Food Science, Technology, and Engineering |date=2006 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-0-8493-9848-3 |page=72–68 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=brdM8-ahRg4C&pg=SA72-PA68 |access-date=22 December 2020 |language=en}}</ref> [[Turkey meat]] is also commonly used as a substitute, but the use of poultry in pepperoni must be appropriately labeled in the [[United States]].<ref>''Food Standards and Labelling Policy Book'', USDA, pp. 133–134.</ref> It is typically seasoned with [[paprika]] or other chili pepper.<ref name="Moskin-2011">{{cite news |last1=Moskin |first1=Julia |date=February 1, 2011 |title=Pepperoni: America's Favorite Topping |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/dining/02pepperoni.html |access-date=April 22, 2013}}</ref>

Prior to cooking, pepperoni is characteristically soft, slightly smoky, and bright red.<ref name="Moskin-2011" /> [[Meat preservation#Nitrates and nitrites|Curing with nitrates or nitrites]] (usually used in modern curing agents to protect against [[botulism]] and other forms of microbiological decay) also contributes to pepperoni's reddish color, by reacting with [[heme]] in the [[myoglobin]] of the [[protein]]aceous components of the meat.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Flippone|first1=Peggy Trowbridge|title=A Recipe to Make Authentic Homemade Pepperoni|url=https://www.thespruce.com/homemade-pepperoni-recipe-1808542|website=The Spruce|access-date=December 12, 2017|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107061331/https://www.thespruce.com/homemade-pepperoni-recipe-1808542|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Serving==
{{Pizza}}
Sliced pepperoni is one of the most popular pizza toppings in American pizzerias.<ref>{{cite news |date=October 5, 2011 |title=America's Most Popular Pizza Toppings |newspaper=Huffington Post |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/05/top-10-pizza-toppings_n_996388.html |access-date=April 22, 2013 |quote=According to a survey done by Technomic’s MenuMonitor from July to September 2011 based on 235 different pizza places in America pepperoni and plain cheese were the #1 and #2 most popular pizzas ordered.}}</ref> According to ''Convenience Store Decisions'', in 2009 Americans consumed {{convert|251.7|e6lb|e6kg|abbr=off}} of pepperoni annually, on 36% of all pizzas produced nationally.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Pizza Palates Changing|date=May 31, 2009|url-status=live |url=https://cstoredecisions.com/2009/05/31/pizza-palates-changing/|magazine=CStore Decisions|access-date=April 25, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928193133/https://cstoredecisions.com/2009/05/31/pizza-palates-changing/|archive-date=September 28, 2022|quote=Pepperoni is by far America's favorite topping, (36% of all pizza orders). Approximately 251.7 million pounds of pepperoni are consumed on pizzas annually.}}</ref>

Pepperoni is also used as the filling of the [[pepperoni roll]], a popular regional snack in West Virginia and neighboring areas.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/dining/30unit.html |title=United Tastes - Pepperoni Rolls, a Piece of West Virginia Culinary History: Fast Food Even Before Fast Food |last=Edge |first=John T. |date=September 29, 2009 |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 3, 2010 |location=New York, NY |at=Style Section: Dining & Wine}}</ref>

In the Canadian province of [[Nova Scotia]], deep fried pepperoni served on its own (usually with a [[honey mustard]] dipping sauce) is common [[pub food]].<ref>{{cite web|author1=Eat This Town|title=Nova Scotia Food Profiles: Pepperoni|url=http://www.eatthistown.ca/nova-scotia-food-profiles-pepperoni/|website=Eat This Town|access-date=January 7, 2018|date=February 1, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Brown|first1=Lola|title=You Must Try: Delicious Deep Fried Pepperoni in Halifax, Nova Scotia|url=https://www.travelmindset.com/deep-fried-pepperoni-halifax-nova-scotia/|website=Travel Mindset|access-date=January 7, 2018|date=April 2, 2013}}</ref>

==Cup and char==
[[File:My Tomato Pie Pizza and Calzone (cropped 2).jpg|thumb|Cup and char pepperoni]]
Pepperoni has a tendency to curl up from the edges in the heat of a pizza oven; historically, all pepperonis showed at least some of this tendency to curl in the oven.<ref name="Lukas-2019">{{Cite news |last=Lukas |first=Paul |date=2019-03-12 |title=The Great Pepperoni Debate: Should It Lie Flat on Your Pizza Or Curl Up? |language=en-US |work=[[Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-great-pepperoni-debate-should-it-lay-flat-on-your-pizza-or-curl-up-11552410779 |access-date=2023-09-12 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref>

As commercial suppliers became the main suppliers to pizza shops, they developed a sausage stuffing technique that resulted in a pepperoni that does not curl.<ref name="López-Alt-2012">{{cite web |last1=López-Alt |first1=J. Kenji |date=December 2012 |title=The Food Lab: Why Does Pepperoni Curl? |url=http://slice.seriouseats.com/2012/12/the-pizza-lab-why-does-pepperoni-curl.html |access-date=April 22, 2013 |website=Serious Eats |language=en |archive-date=October 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022193500/http://slice.seriouseats.com/2012/12/the-pizza-lab-why-does-pepperoni-curl.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> An additional benefit of non-curling pepperoni is that it eliminates the small deposits of hot grease that formed in the cupped pepperoni, therefore also eliminating any possible liability for customers who burn themselves on it.<ref name="López-Alt-2012" /> 

The original style became known as "cup and char" pepperoni and remains popular in parts of the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] and [[Great Lakes region|Great Lakes]] areas, particularly around [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]], and [[Buffalo, New York]], and regained popularity in other areas in the 2010s.<ref name="Lukas-2019" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Brooke |first=Eliza |date=2019-02-08 |title=How Tiny, Curly Pepperonis Took Over NYC's Pizza Market |url=https://ny.eater.com/2019/2/8/18214007/roni-cup-and-char-pepperoni-pizza-nyc-trend-instagram-ace-endico-ezzo-restaurants |access-date=2023-09-12 |website=[[Eater NY]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tsujimoto |first=Ben |date=2020-11-13 |title=Cup-and-char crunch: Buffalo's beloved pepperoni in short supply |url=https://buffalonews.com/entertainment/dining/cup-and-char-crunch-buffalos-beloved-pepperoni-in-short-supply/article_65038dfe-2517-11eb-bd3e-4b89a546a449.html |access-date=2023-09-12 |website=[[Buffalo News]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dave |first=Large |date=2022-08-05 |title=Like Roni Cup Pizza? You Should Thank Brewster's Ace Endico |url=https://i95rock.com/like-roni-cup-pizza-you-should-thank-brewsters-ace-endico/ |access-date=2023-09-12 |website=[[i95 ROCK]] |language=en}}</ref> It is more expensive to produce.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peng |first=Jen |date=2022-04-08 |title=Why Does Some Pepperoni Curl When Cooked? |url=https://www.tastingtable.com/825828/why-does-some-pepperoni-curl-when-cooked/ |access-date=2023-09-12 |website=[[Tasting Table]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|United States|Food}}
* [[List of sausages]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Smith, Andrew F. (2007) [https://books.google.com/books?id=AoWlCmNDA3QC&pg=PT474&dq=pepperoni "Pepperoni"]. ''The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink''. p.&nbsp;447. {{ISBN|0195307968}}.
* Palumbo, S. A., et al. (January 1976). [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1976.tb01090.x/abstract "Microbiology and Technology of the Pepperoni Process"] (abstract). ''Journal of Food Science''. Volume 41, Issue 1. pages 12–17. {{subscription required}}
* Palumbo, S. A. et al. (July 1977). [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1977.tb12660.x/abstract "Kinetics of Pepperoni Drying"] (abstract). ''Journal of Food Science''. Volume 42, Issue 4. pages 1029–1033. {{subscription required}}

{{Sausage}}

[[Category:American sausages]]
[[Category:Fermented sausages]]
[[Category:Italian-American cuisine]]
[[Category:Italian words and phrases]]
[[Category:Lunch meat]]
[[Category:Pizza in the United States]]
[[Category:Sliced foods]]
[[Category:Toppings]]