Pepperoni

Pepperoniis a variety of spicysalamimade fromcuredporkandbeefseasoned withpaprikaandchili peppers.
Before cooking, pepperoni is characteristically soft, slightly smoky, and bright red. Sliced pepperoni is one of the most popularpizza toppingsin American pizzerias.
Traditionally made pepperonis curl into "cups" in the pizza oven's intense heat; commercialization of the production of pepperoni created slices that would lie flat on the pizza. The curled "cup and char" style of pepperoni remained popular in pockets of theMidwest.
The termpepperoniis aborrowingofpeperoni, the plural ofpeperone, the Italian word forbell pepper. The first use ofpepperonito refer to a sausage dates to 1916 at the latest.In Italian, the wordpeperoncinorefers tochili peppers.
In 1919,Italian immigrantsinNew York Citycreated pepperoni.It is acureddry sausage, with similarities to the spicy salamis ofsouthern Italyon which it is based, such assalsicciaorsoppressata. The main differences are that pepperoni is less spicy, has a finer grain (akin to spiceless salami fromMilan), is usually softer in texture, and is usually produced with the use of anartificial casing.
Pepperoni is made from pork or from a mixture of pork and beef.Turkey meatis also commonly used as a substitute, but the use of poultry in pepperoni must be appropriately labeled in theUnited States.It is typically seasoned withpaprikaor other chili pepper.
Prior to cooking, pepperoni is characteristically soft, slightly smoky, and bright red.Curing with nitrates or nitrites(usually used in modern curing agents to protect againstbotulismand other forms of microbiological decay) also contributes to pepperoni's reddish color, by reacting withhemein themyoglobinof theproteinaceouscomponents of the meat.
Sliced pepperoni is one of the most popular pizza toppings in American pizzerias.According toConvenience Store Decisions, in 2009 Americans consumed 251.7 million pounds (114.2 million kilograms) of pepperoni annually, on 36% of all pizzas produced nationally.
Pepperoni is also used as the filling of thepepperoni roll, a popular regional snack in West Virginia and neighboring areas.
In the Canadian province ofNova Scotia, deep fried pepperoni served on its own (usually with ahoney mustarddipping sauce) is commonpub food.
Pepperoni has a tendency to curl up from the edges in the heat of a pizza oven; historically all pepperonis showed at least some of this tendency to curl in the oven because of their natural casings.
As commercial suppliers became the main suppliers to pizza shops, they developed a fibrous synthetic casing which is intended to be stripped from the pepperoni before it is sliced.This resulted in a pepperoni that does not curl.An additional benefit of non-curling pepperoni is that it eliminates the small deposits of hot grease that formed in the cupped pepperoni, therefore also eliminating any possible liability for customers who burn themselves on it.
The original style became known as "cup and char" pepperoni and remains popular in parts of theMidwestandGreat Lakesareas, particularly aroundCleveland,Ohio, andBuffalo, New York, and regained popularity in other areas in the 2010s.It is more expensive to produce.