Photo Credit: iStock / Thinkstock
Would you pick up a slice topped with smoked reindeer?
Pizza is a magical word. Say it to elicit slow nods, meaningfully closed eyes, and sometimes even clasped hands raised toward the heavens. It's a quick, easy, and usually cheap food that has become ingrained in our culture, and each varying type is a regional phenomenon -- think New York-style and Chicago deep dish. Although 93 percent of Americans have at least one slice every month, the United States isn't the only country with a love of pizza.
Over five billion pizzas are sold worldwide each year, and over 350 slices of pizza are eaten every second. No wonder bedspreads devoted to pepperoni and portable pizza pouches for hanging a cheesy slice around your neck (they're only $8, people) exist.
Although the U.S. is quite passionate about pizza, our toppings are pretty tame compared to the rest of the world. Cheese, pepperoni, and sausage aren't too out of the ordinary when compared to choices like smoked reindeer and haggis. Read on to discover 14 of the weirdest pizza toppings around the world -- then mark them on your bucket list to try.
Banana Curry Pizza (Sweden)
Photo Credit: Flickr / Sebastian Bassi / CC BY 4.0
You'll find banana curry pizza under the "Ordinary" or "Classic" sections of the menu in Sweden. It's not too different from a Hawaiian in that it pairs ham with a sweet fruit, but the curry powder is admittedly unique. Most pizza places in Stockholm will serve it, but people flock to sample it at Formaggio Pizzeria.
Bronx Pastrami Pie (United States)
Photo Credit: Rose City Pizza
Why didn't anybody think of this in New York? Rose City Pizza in Rosemead, California, simply swaps rye bread for pizza dough and adds mozzarella to the classic pie.
Canned Tuna (Germany)
Photo Credit: Flickr / Quinn Dombrowski / CC BY-SA 4.0
In Germany, canned tuna is a popular pizza topping, and it's often mixed with onions, olives, or other vegetables.
Coconut (Costa Rica)
Photo Credit: Flickr / Alexandra Richmond / CC BY-SA 4.0
Coconut is often employed as a topping for sweets and desserts in the United States, but in Costa Rica, it's a favorite pizza topping - along with shrimp.
Cone Crust Pizza (United Arab Emirates)
Photo Credit: Pizza Hut
This interesting-looking pizza has a crust that you can easily pluck -- perhaps too easily. Each "cone" of the Cone Crust Pizza comes stuffed with honey mustard chicken or cream cheese. Since it seems like Pizza Hut Middle East has (thankfully) discontinued this item, you might as well visit the critically acclaimed Rossovivo in Dubai instead.
Hayden Field, The Daily Meal