Heading to Italy on holiday this year? Want to branch out into some southern Italian pizza toppings you can't find at home? Here is my personal shortlist of the tastiest traditional southern Italian pizza toppings you can find throughout Italy - some you'll recognise and some which will definitely be new to you if you've never been to Italy before.
Nduja
Coming in strong from Calabria, and exemplary of southern Italy's penchant for chillies, nduja is a bright red and spicy pork paste.
It's delicious spread on toast or stirred through pasta sauce. However, pizza is definitely my favourite place to use nduja. You'll find it served in little piles on top of the cheese in place of salame or sausage.
Indeed, it's a lot like salame, only better in many ways! It's smoother, more versatile, and packs a whole lot more flavour.
Burrata
While nduja isn't for everyone due to its chilli content, burrata's mild taste makes it a risk-free crowd-pleaser.
Burrata is a type of cheese from Puglia made with an outer shell of buffalo mozzarella and a rich, luxurious filling of straciatella (shredded mozzarella curds and cream).
If you're looking for a more flavourful alternative to mozzarella, and don't mind the few extra calories it involves, indulge in some burrata!
Quattro Stagioni
Campania is home to Naples - the birthplace of pizza - making it the perfect place to expand your pizza horizons. And one of the most fun and filling options in the region has to be the quattro stagioni.
As the name suggests, this pizza is split into four toppings, with each quarter representing a season of the year. It's a very popular variety of something known as pizza capricciosa (pizza with an eclectic variety of toppings).
The toppings are usually: mushrooms, prosciutto (ham), olives, and artichokes. The perfect option for an indecisive diner.
Pizza Neapolitana
A pizza that probably requires no introduction, pizza Neapolitana is a type of margherita pizza specific to the region, featuring red sauce made from one of just two varieties of local tomatoes.
If the ingredients aren't specific to the region, it's just a margherita. And margherita pizza is a lovely thing! But for a version where the flavours really sing, you need to try the OG: a pizza neapolitana.
Quattro Formaggi
Also from Campania, quattro formaggi is commonly found outside of Italy, so chances are you've tried something under that name before.
However, the cheeses on a non-Italian quattro formaggi are often of a lower quality and variety than you'll find in the country. In the UK, for example, I often see CHEDDAR included.
This makes it one of those southern Italian pizza toppings to try even if you think you've tried it before!
The cheese combination should go like this:
- a strong cheese (blue or mature)
- a soft cheese
- a creamy cheese
- a hard cheese (parmigiano, pecorino, or maybe grana)
Carciofi (artichokes)
Artichokes are pretty ubiquitous in Italy, meaning they earned a special mention in my article on northern Italian pizza toppings. However, they initially hail from southern Italy, specifically Rome.
If you're in the mood for vegetarian pizza but quattro formaggi or burrata pizza seem too heavy, artichoke pizza is the perfect choice. The artichokes are perfectly soft and packed with flavour.
In Rome, artichokes on pizza are usually paired with pecorino (a delicious local hard cheese made from sheep's milk). A match made in Heaven!
Spianata Calabrese
I've decided to end this list as it began: with a spicy meat topping that's sure to have you hooked if you love salame.
There are two main varieties of spianata: one with peppercorns, and one with red Calabrian chillies. Definitely try the spicier variety (spianata calabrese piccante) if you have the chance!
Despite the spice hit this pizza topping brings, the mozzarella it's paired with has a cooling effect and contrasts beautifully. Definitely a southern Italian pizza topping to try if you're a fan of "pepperoni" in America or the UK as this is the real deal.
