Posted By: The Ironic Chef
Jan 16 # 1 of 14
This was a blog I posted a few years back. I thought I'd post it here because I'd enjoy the responses on the topic.
In the USA pepperoni can also be a mix of beef, chicken and pork. It is a descendant of the spicy salamis of Southern Italy, such as salsiccia Napoletana piccante, a spicy dry sausage from Naples or the Soppressata from Calabria. Pepperoni is a popular pizza topping in American-style pizzerias. Also, it is sometimes used to make sub sandwiches. Carrying the title of the literal Italian translation of "peppers", Pepperoni is often recognized as the American counterpart to Spanish-style chorizo, which is usually similar in color and flavor.
The term Pepperoni is a corruption of peperoni, the Italian plural of peperone. While in Italian peperoni refers to bell peppers, in Italian-American cuisine the word "pepperoni" evolved to indicate a kind of spicy sausage.
To order the American version of pepperoni in Italy, someone would request salame piccante or salamino piccante (hot salami, generally typical of Calabria). The Italian name for a pepperoni pizza is pizza alla diavola (with hot sausages).
Throughout continental Europe, peperone is a common word for various types of capsicum including bell peppers and a small, spicy and often pickled pepper known as peperoncino or peperone piccante in Italy and pepperoncini or banana peppers in the US.
Unlike in Europe, the English word, pepperoni, is used as a singular uncountable noun.
Growing up my family was hooked on pepperoni. We didn't eat it on crackers with cheese though. We actually cooked it in our tomato sauces to serve over pasta. We had hot sandwiches that were like a hot sub. Made with a couple cans of stewed tomatoes in a crock pot and then as much pepperoni you could fit into the pot to fill it. Slow cooked it all day and the pepperoni would absorb all of the juice of the tomatoes. This would be served on a torpedo style roll with Mozzarella cheese or Parmesan cheese. You may think this strange but this hot sandwich actually became very famous in my home town and one could get one in any bar and grill.
Lasagna, I don't know how anyone could eat a lasagna without pepperoni in it. The spiciness of the pepperoni gives the lasagna that BAM . The same goes for a baked Zitti or even served in any pasta sauce. If one gets a good quality pepperoni like Hormel the fat content isn't as high as most. The grease from the pepperoni prevents the pasta from sticking but I am sure it's not as healthy as olive oil. I have par boiled pepperoni to cook off excess grease on occasion but I beleive that it also boiled away much of the flavor too.
I am sure almost everybody that eats pizza has tried a pepperoni pizza at least once. Most enjoy it. That is one of the reasons why I do not understand why pepperoni isn't used in more dishes. I make a pepperoni Stromboli which is a bread or pizza dough rolled out, layer pepperoni and mozzarella cheese on it and roll it up jelly roll style and bake it. Everyone that I have had try this Stromboli loves it. Another simple item that I make is to wrap pepperoni and cheese in egg roll wrappers and deep fry them. I think a Chinese person would faint if they ever had one, but these hors devours are excellent party snacks with a little tomato dipping sauce. Healthy, no way. It doesn't matter what type of oil you fry them in.
I must say that with pepperoni I have always preferred the stick form when buying it. The pre sliced stuff is always to thin and for some reason the pre packed pre sliced just doesn't have the same flavor or kick to it. I have been told that pepperoni is un healthy due to the fat in it and concerns regarding heart burn. Like everything, moderation. Tums or Rolaids and boil out some of that fat if you have to. Don't miss out on such a great flavor enhancer.
30 years ago I was on leave from the Army and I was sitting in a little mom and pop Italian joint with my wife at the Jersey shore. . I asked the waiter if I could have spaghetti with pepperoni in the sauce. Pop gets the order and comes out from the kitchen. He says to me, " I cooka for 20 years and I never make spaget witha pepperon'e.. He thought the idea of pepperoni in a sauce was very strange indeed. I had a nice discussion with him that night about pepperoni. I enjoyed going to his restaurant for years to come after moving to the area. Pepperoni in the sauce wasn't a problem.
Jan 16 # 2 of 14
Hormel????? OMG - they cannot make pepperoni! I realize that everyone has their own tastes and when it comes to many foods - certain brands taste better or are made better.
In our house - Hormel will never exist! It's garbage material. Ditto with many "imitation" or should I say "wanna-be's" that think they can make salami, sopressata and pepperoni.
The best ones are made in Italy and imported here. Circle U used to make a fairly decent pepperoni and salami, etc. Then they sold out to Ehreich (sp) and it's now classified as dogfood in our home.
You want a GOOD pepperoni - go to an Italian specialty store and buy it there - it's so good.
Years ago our uncles and great uncles would go to Italy and send tons of good cheeses, pepperoni, salami, sopressata, mortadella, etc. back home along with other goodies. But that generation has died off.
I've written to the distant relatives in Italy - waiting for their recipes to make my own. I won't be disappointed! It's just that the pepperoni in the supermarkets is so dang gagging!
just my opinion............
Posted By: The Ironic Chef
Jan 16 # 3 of 14
I'm sorry to here that Momma. I myself prefer domestic pepperoni. I can afford it. I'm not paying more than 6.00 for a couple of skinny sticks. I am sure that the pepperonies imported from Italy are much better but the price wouldn't be worth it to me. Having it smuggled into the USA in someones under wear doesn't sound to appealing to me as another option either. Hormel is one of the better brands here in our supermarket.
As far as using an imported Pepperoni, I think that the price tag on it would force me to only be able to eat it on a Ritz too. I surely wouldn't put it into an every day sauce. I'll stick to using what I can afford. Been eating it all my life so no gagging here by any means.
Jan 16 # 4 of 14
Not really - first of all - it's the same price as any other pepperoni - believe it or not! And it was never smuggled - it was packed and shipped - imported through customs, etc. We had restaurants in the family - they wanted only the best and they did what they had to do the way they were supposed to do it. It would be very difficult to try to stuff your underwear with hundreds of pounds of meats and cheeses, etc.
I tried Hormel - and it was just awful - but like I said - everyone's taste buds are different. And I'm old - I was brought up on imports from Italy - so it's hard for me to accept a lot of what is out there. But I do hope that you can check out an imported stick of pepperoni - the prices is really not higher than most.
Jan 16 # 5 of 14
I like my Hormel Pepperoni on occasion, but I'm well aware that I'm eating the equivalent of a tomato that has been stored in a refrigerator a long time verses a home-grown one straight out of the garden, but sometimes that is all that is available at the moment.
The same goes for cheeses and their chemical substitutes. Its a sign of our times and the really good stuff is just not there when we could appreciate it the most.