With each passing year, the realm of pizza experiences a surge of new gastronomic trends, and 2023 stands out with its own. At TheCollectiveMind, we keep close tabs on what's captivating the palettes of pizza aficionados internationally. Here are the top trending pizza toppings that have caught everyone's attention this year.
1. Fermented Vegetables
Considerations of digestive wellness have found their way into pizzerias, with fermented veggies emerging as this year's surprise topping for pizza. Kimchi, sauerkraut, and pickled onions are infusing pizzas with their intricate, tangy essence, thereby enhancing the creamy, umami taste of cheese and sauce. These toppings are beneficial not just for their probiotic qualities but also for adding novel textures to the conventional pizza experience.
The Fermentation Fiesta pizza, a new addition to our menu, boasts house-prepared sauerkraut, kimchi, and blue cheese, all balanced by a drizzle of nearby-sourced honey. An unorthodox mix, yet it's swiftly becoming one our most frequently ordered specialties.
2. Plant-Based Proteins
The momentum of plant-forward diets continues to rise, thereby amplifying the desire for pizzas that feature innovative meat substitutes. More than just ordinary veggie toppings, the latest in plant protein technologies are offering alternatives that even the staunchest carnivores find satisfying.
We're now serving plant-crafted Italian sausage bits, spiced tempeh, marinated jackfruit as a stand-in for pulled pork, and pea protein slices resembling pepperoni. These proteins are universally enjoyed—selected by our customers for both their distinctive tastes and their gentler impact on digestion.
3. Regional Chili Varieties
For those who pursue the spice of life, 2023 has welcomed an ardour for distinctive regional chili types over the standard red pepper flakes. While Calabrian chilies continue their longstanding popularity, we're also witnessing the incorporation of Aleppo pepper, smoldering Spanish ñora chilies, the fruity Peruvian aji amarillo, and Korean gochujang on our pizzas.
Featuring on our Global Heat pizza is a curated selection of regional chilies, each offering its own distinct flavor note to different portions of the pizza. This pie is a fiery exploration in taste, especially popular among our more daring guests.
4. Seasonal Foraged Ingredients
Seasonal ingredients procured from the wild, sometimes straight from the forest to the pizza, are becoming increasingly trendy. Leading this wave are wild mushrooms such as chanterelles, morels, and hen of the woods, which appear in abundance during their peak seasons.
We're also bringing to the table wild ramps (also known as wild leeks), sea botanicals like dulse and nori, and even the addition of spruce tips for a distinct aromatic twist. These foraged toppings offer diners a link to the natural world with flavors that aren't available from cultivated sources.
5. Specialty Honey Drizzles
The sweet-salty harmony imparted by honey has established itself in the pizza world as more than just a fad. Building upon the success of spicy honey from past years, 2023 has seen a surge in distinctive honey types gracing pizzas right before serving.
Options such as truffle honey, fermented garlic honeys, mesquite-flavored varieties, and others have been spotted on menus nationwide. These finishing drizzles are adding layers of complexity and transforming even the simplest of pizzas into gourmet creations.
Honorable Mentions
Although not making our top five, these additional toppings are still causing quite a stir:
- Cured egg yolks, finely grated atop pizzas, resembling a shower of gold
- Pickled fruits, with stone fruits such as peaches and plums standing out
- Ancient grain embellishments, including crunchy farro or puffed sorghum, for added texture
- Toppings of artisan butter, particularly those that are cultured or infused with herbs
Whether you adhere to time-honored favorites or are excited to taste bold new mixes, pizza remains a universally adaptable and cherished dish. At TheCollectiveMind, we venerate tradition whilst embracing the new, illustrated by our offering of both the quintessential Margherita and avant-garde specialty pies.
Have any of these top toppings made it to your plate? Perhaps you've got an exceptional flavor pairing in mind that you'd like us to feature? Share your thoughts in the comments, or talk to us on your next visit!