When it comes to pizza, pepperoni is a right of passage and while the classics will never die, sometimes it’s fun to switch things up. That’s the beauty of pizza: the possibilities for toppings are endless. Here at Mortadella Head, we are constantly thinking outside of the pizza box to come up with new ideas for some tasty pies. Here are 6 different toppings that we like to put on our pizzas that maybe you’ve never tried before!

Broccoli Rabe - Vegetables might be the last thing you want to put on a pizza but hear us out -- broccoli rabe is tasty. On our Commendatore pizza, we pair it with aged mozzarella, porchetta, roasted peppers and grated pecorino for a perfectly balanced and tasty bite. You’ll forget you’re even eating veggies , but mom will be so proud. 

Boneless Buffalo Wings- The app of all appetizers meets the best food in the world: pizza. Buffalo wings are already amazing, but when you pair these two together you have the perfect dynamic duo. Our Buffalo Chicken Pizza features feta, aged mozzarella, boneless wings and creamy gorgonzola dressing. Perfect for your next football party or Netflix night!

Pulled Pork- Not just for backyard barbecues. Trade in your average pulled pork sandwich and upgrade it into a pizza. This is a perfect way to pack some protein onto your pie without having to sacrifice any flavor. The Pig Pen on our menu features BBQ pulled pork, bacon, pickles, aged mozzarella and fried onion strings. Now you can bring the BBQ to your living room. 

Pickles: Cheeseburger pizzas are becoming more and more popular, but oftentimes they’re missing this key ingredient. Pickles are an essential flavor in any classic cheeseburger, that’s why we put them on our burger inspired pizza, The Pig Mac. This pizza features ground beef, bacon, tomato, caramelized onions, american cheese, iceberg lettuce, 1000 island dressing and of course, pickles. No more need to fight over burgers or pizza for dinner. Why not both?

Fried Eggplant: Eggplant has a soft texture and mild flavor which is enhanced when breaded and fried. Frying most things is a great way to enhance in general. Eggplant parmesan is an overall classic italian dish. We took that and put our own MH twist on it. The Jimmy Two Times pizza features aged mozzarella, fried eggplant, ricotta, grated pecorino and fresh basil. You’re welcome.

Honey: It might seem weird to put something sweet like honey on your pizza but think about it... there’s a reason why chocolate covered pretzels are so delicious: sweet and salty is a killer combination. We use honey on one of our pizzas called The Shredder to help balance out some spice. The Shredder features aged mozzarella, pepperoni, jalapenos and honey and is sure to take your taste buds on a wild ride. 

It’s certainly okay to stick with the classics -- they’re still popular for a reason. But sometimes the best things are outside of your comfort zone and we’re here to help you with that. Still not convinced? Come on in and try one of these pies for yourself! You won’t be disappointed.

Growing up in an Italian family is the best. It may get loud and crazy, but at least you’ll never go hungry or ever have a boring holiday. If you grew up in an Italian family, you know these things to be true:

1. You always talk with your hands: You probably had friends joke around with you telling you to sit on your hands and talk. It’s okay to admit that it wasn’t easy. We get it. In fact, we think it’s weird when people don’t talk with their hands. 

2. Pasta is not always the meal: It’s also an appetizer. It’s a right of passage. Unless it’s Sunday, in which case it’s the meal accompanied by large amounts of meat, mostly in ball form. Holidays usually start with pasta as one of the first courses, not the main. 

3. You can never say no to food: Especially if it’s being offered to you by your grandmother. When she asks you if you’re hungry, it’s usually a rhetorical question because you know she will never take no for an answer. One does not simply go to their Italian grandmother’s house without an appetite, c’mon!

4. Your grandmother takes forever to sit down: Italian grandmothers are an entirely  different and beautiful breed. She spends hours making a giant meal for you and your 28 cousins and is always the last one to sit down and make sure everyone else enjoys it.  Italian grandmothers are the epitome of selfless love.

5. Sunday is the best day of the week: For most people, Sunday and Monday are the least loved days of the week. But if you say the word Sunday to someone who is Italian, just watch their face light up. Sundays are full of family and food. Enough said.

6. Low carb is not an option: Good luck telling your big Italian family that you’ve decided to try out the Keto diet. Carbs are the foundation of Italian food, they are almost as important as the Pope. Save yourself the embarrassment and keep the carbs in your life.

7.  There is no such thing as a quiet night: Your family is loud and proud. If you have a non-Italian come and join you for a meal, they may be scared that your family is arguing. And while they might be fighting over something silly, you know that your family has nothing but love for each other and you wouldn’t trade their loud, crazy selves for the world.

Growing up in an Italian family is anything but boring. You’ve never had to worry about leaving a family gathering hungry, even though you went in thinking you were “on a diet”. Food is just how us Italians show our love! If you were fortunate enough to grow up Italian, we salute you! If you didn’t grow up in an Italian family but now you’re obviously wishing you did, you’re always more than welcome to join ours for the night, capeesh?

The History of Roman Pizza

The oldest reference to the word “pizza” dates back to 987 AD in Gaeta, a village in Southern Lazio. It is thought the the term comes from the Latin word “pinsa”, meaning flatbread. Thus, the modern-day pizza we all know and love started from simply adding tomato to the top of focaccia (a type of flatbread) in Naples in the 18th century.

A good 200 years after the creation Neapolitan pizza, the Roman style made its debut. Pizza didn’t catch on in Rome until the World War II era when American soldiers came looking for it. Thanks to high-protein flour being sent to Italy from America, Roman bakers were able to create a thinner, crispier version of its Neapolitan counterpart.

Whereas large brick ovens were being used in Naples, Romans favored smaller, stone-lined deck ovens. This was due partly to the fact that natural gas was extremely expensive in Rome, making bakers opt for electric ovens instead. Because of the oven’s evenly-heated rectangular shape, larger and longer pizzas made more sense than small round ones. Thus, the Roman style was born around the 1960s.

What’s in the name?

Roman pizza comes by many names, but you’ll most often see it called pizza al metro (pizza by the meter) and pizza al taglio (pizza by the cut). But both names indicate a long, rectangular pizza with a length of about 1 meter (3 feet). In many Roman shops, pizza al taglio is sold by the slice from the oiled rectangular pans in which they are cooked.

One type of Roman pizza that is rarely found outside the city is the pizza bianca, a white pizza that is oblong in shape. It has no tomatoes, but is instead drizzled with fresh olive oil immediately after coming out of the oven.

The Difference

Roman pizza dough has a different type of structure. The crumb, affectionately known as the honeycomb, has micro-holes that make the pizza light and easily digestible. The dough has a thin to medium crust made up of a few simple ingredients: flour, water, yeast, olive oil, and salt. The addition of olive oil is a key difference from Neapolitan dough. It’s the essential ingredient that gives Roman pizza crust more weight, flavor, and a crispier crunch. Olive oil also helps to stretch the dough thinner.

How is the dough prepared?

Roman-style pies use a more refined flour for the dough, which requires three separate fermentation stages. Neapolitan style, on the other hand, only requires one. In addition, while Neapolitan-style dough rises at room temperature and can be used the same day, Roman-style undergoes a 60- to 90-hour rise.

Hydration is an incredibly important aspect of making good Roman pizza. The dough is worked through with nearly 60% or 70% of water. This allows for the dough to be very hydrated.

The temperature they are cooked at also differs. Neapolitans are typically cooked at 750-1000°F, whereas Romans are cooked at a cooler temperature ranging from 500-600°F.

What goes on top?

As far as toppings go, Roman pizza can be generously topped or not topped at all. Unlike Neapolitan pizza, the crisper, more rigid Roman crust can take the weight of a multitude of toppings. The Roman style is all about big, bold flavors, sharper cheeses, and even heavier meats.

Why We Make Roman Pizza

We’re really excited to be one of the only spots in Boston who specialize in Roman style pizza. We’ve spent a lot of time trying to perfect the dough, practicing, improving, and most of all, having fun every day.

Our obsession with Roman pizza began a few years ago when my partner Sebby and I went to Italy to visit his father. Truth be told, we were also planning to do a little research for the Italian-American restaurant concept I had always wanted to create. Though we were staying  in Sicily with Sebby’s father, we knew we had to spend a few days in Rome. While researching which spots we wanted to hit, we kept seeing the name Gabriele Bonci. Who is this guy? I thought.

Better known as “Bonci”, this dude is pretty much the premiere baker and Roman pizza expert in Italy. We figured if we were going to be in Rome, we had to meet him. After firing off a ton of emails to people who may be able to get us connected, we finally got a response from Elizabeth Minchilli, a well-known American blogger living in Rome. She said she would try to reach out to Bonci, but couldn’t promise anything. Thankfully, we got lucky, and a few days later we had a meeting scheduled with the pizza maestro himself.

We got to Rome and met him at a tiny kitchen, tucked away in a residential neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. We spent several hours with Bonci, his helper, and a translator, learning the basics of Roman pizza dough. We learned how to mix it, store it, ferment it, and handle it. We made pizza after pizza while we drank organic Italian wine out of a box. It was an awesome day. This was the moment where we fell in love with Roman pizza. And today, here we are, with the Italian-American concept I had dreamed up a long time ago -- Mortadella Head.