Pepperoni is truly an iconic American food as it is the most popular pizza topping in the US. Learn the pepperoni history, its origins, and timeline:
1919 saw the first presence of pepperoni as a sausage in New York City’s Lower Manhattan. It appeared as a cured meat appetizer in Italian delis and pizzerias. During World War I, pepperoni became synonymous with sausage.
In Italy, peperoni are large peppers and peperoncino are hot and spicy peppers. Neither are cured salami. Salami is actually known as salsiccia, soppressata, or salame piccante.
Pepperoni was purely an Italian-American creation. American salami made from cured pork and beef seasoned with garlic, cayenne, paprika, and other chili peppers. Slightly smoky in flavor and bright red in color, which came from nitrites and nitrates to reserve the air-dried salami.
The 1950s featured the first time pepperoni pizza was written and document on a wall of a pizzeria in The Spot in New Haven, Connecticut. Prior to pepperoni, toppings included sausage, bacon, and other types of traditional salami.
The advantage and appeal of pepperoni are that it only took 1 to 3 weeks to cure rather than the months it took for Italian cured meats.
The 1960s saw the mass popularity of pepperoni pizza which has lasted until today. Chains like Pizza Hut and Domino’s loved how pepperoni was inexpensive and traveled well. Plus, it could be mass-produced for a quick production, pricing, and availability.
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