With each passing year, new food enthusiasms emerge in the pizza world, and 2023 is no different. At CalmRiverHouse, we keep a watchful eye on the preferences tantalizing pizza aficionados globally. Here we present our compilation of the year's most anticipated and beloved pizza topping innovations.
1. Fermented Vegetables
The emphasis on digestive wellness has paved its way onto pizza, with fermented veggies emerging as a crowd favorite in pizzas throughout the year. Kimchi, sauerkraut, and pickled onions are infusing pizzas with a flavorful zest that pairs harmoniously with the creamy cheese and robust sauce. These toppings aren't just energizing in taste but also give a healthful probiotic edge, as well as introduce intriguing textural elements to the classic pizza base.
The Fermentation Fiesta pizza stars our homemade sauerkraut, kimchi, and bleu cheese, topped with a splash of local honey to soften the tangy punch. Though unconventional, it's fast becoming one of our top-specialty requested pizzas.
2. Plant-Based Proteins
The ascent of plant-forward diets has been reflected in the increase of pizza orders topped with imaginative meatless alternatives. Beyond usual veggie toppings, recent advances in plant-based proteins have unveiled choices that even the most devoted carnivores are savoring.
Toppings such as vegan Italian sausage crumbles, flavored tempeh, jackfruit pulled pork, and pea protein pepperoni are now frequently found gracing our pizza menu. These choices are popular not only amongst vegetarians but also among customers who favor their distinct tastes and lighter feeling post-meal.
3. Regional Chili Varieties
Those who seek spiciness in their meals are celebrating, as the year 2023 has elevated a keen interest in distinctive regional chili kinds over basic red pepper flakes. While Calabrian chilies have kept their position in the spotlight from past years, we're now witnessing the likes of Aleppo pepper, smoky Spanish ñora chilies, the fruity Peruvian aji amarillo, and Korean gochujang making their marks on pizzas.
The International Heat pizza offers a blend of four distinctive chilies, each imparting its own flavor essence to different sections of the pizza. It's a fiery tour that has won particular favor among our most daring guests.
4. Seasonal Foraged Ingredients
The farm-to-table initiative has now become the forest-to-pizza trend, thanks to the swelling fame of foraged seasonal ingredients. Leading this trend, wild mushrooms, like chanterelles, morels, and hen of the woods mushrooms are being spotted with increasing frequency during their growth seasons.
In addition to mushrooms, we've been experimenting with early-spring ramps (wild onions), maritime greens like dulse and nori, and even aromatic spruce tips. These toppings foster a connection to the wild and present incomparable flavors that can't be replicated in commercial cultivation.
5. Specialty Honey Drizzles
The dynamic tension between sweet and savory achieved by honey drizzles has become much more than a fleeting craze. Building upon the hot honey craze of the past, 2023 has brought about an array of special honey varieties being drizzled atop pizzas just before they are served.
Exquisite selections such as truffle honey, aged garlic honey, smoky mesquite honey, and CBD-enriched honey are now found on menus nationwide. These unique accents introduce depth and transform even the most basic pizza combinations into deluxe experiences.
Honorable Mentions
A few additional toppings that nearly made our top five but are still leaving a significant impact include:
- Cured egg yolks delicately grated over pizzas like a savory dusting
- Marinated fruits, particularly stone fruits like peaches and apricots
- Ancient grain toppings, such as crunchy farro or sorghum popped for texture
- Specialty butters, especially cultured or mixed herb butters
Whether you're a purist who cherishes timeless favorites or a culinary explorer open to innovative flavors, pizza remains one of the most versatile and cherished dishes worldwide. At CalmRiverHouse, we celebrate tradition alongside novelty, which is why our menu includes both venerable Margheritas and edgy, avant-garde varieties.
Have you sampled any of these current topping trends? Or perhaps you have a particular favorite combination you'd love to see us adopt? Share your thoughts in the comments or tell us when you next pay us a visit!