Deep-fried pizza

Deep-fried pizza is a dish available in many chip shops in Scotland. It originated in the late 1970s^{[citation needed]} and typically consists of the cheapest of cash and carry pizzas. Served as a "pizza supper" (with chips) or single (without chips) in whole and half pizza portions.

In the south-east of Scotland they can be served with "salt and sauce", where the pizza is smothered in brown sauce before being folded in half and fried. In the west they are generally served with salt, vinegar and brown sauce.

This pizza is deep fried without batter, although another variation known as a "Pizza Crunch" consists of a large, battered pizza/half-pizza deep fried, usually served with chips.^{[citation needed]}

In Italy

In Italy, there are two local versions of deep fried pizza. The most elaborated recipe consists of two layers of pizza dough sealed one on top of the other with a filling of tomato, cheese, meats and other ingredients in the middle.

The simplest, but most popular nationwide, recipe consists of a plain disc of pizza dough taken and deep-fried without any topping, and flavoured with salt (or sugar) after it's cooked. This recipe has received many names across the county (pizzarella in Rome, avvoltolo in Perugia, ciaccia in Arezzo, gnocco fritto in Bologna, torta fritta in Parma and so on) with slight modifications for each recipe. For example, Gnocco Fritto and Torta Fritta are modeled in little squares of dough that swell in the middle during cooking, to allow the addition at will of ham or salami when served.

Gallery

A deep-fried mushroom pizza from Guido's Fast Foods, Shawlands, Glasgow.   Pizza in a deep fat fryer.

External links

• For Scotland, deep fried pizza is the taste of home (Daily Telegraph)
• Ah, Scotland! The Moors, the Braes, the Fried Pizza (New York Times)
• Deep-Fried Candy Bars: Scotland's Worst Food? Discussion of research into Scottish fried foods, including deep fried pizza