With each new year, we see an emergence of fresh trends in the pizza sector, and 2023 is brimming with them. At ModernMarketPlace, keeping a pulse on what delights the palates of pizza aficionados worldwide is our passion. This is our curated list of this year's top trending pizza toppings.
1. Fermented Vegetables
With gut health gaining importance, pizza has embraced fermented vegetables as a surprising top choice for toppings. Varieties like kimchi, sauerkraut, and pickled onions introduce a layer of savory complexity that pairs wonderfully with cheese and sauce. These fermented accents go beyond taste, offering probiotic benefits and adding distinctive textures to pizza.
Featured on our menu is the Fermentation Fiesta pie, with a unique mix of in-house sauerkraut, kimchi, and gorgonzola, all perfectly balanced out with a sweet local honey drizzle. This innovative coupling has fast become a customer favorite.
2. Plant-Based Proteins
Trendsetting pizzerias, including ours, have witnessed the dip in demand shift towards plant-based alternatives, outdoing traditional veggie options. The development of plant-based proteins like Italian sausage substitutes, flavorful tempeh pieces, tender jackfruit mimicking pulled pork, and pea protein based pepperoni have taken the center stage on our menus, appealing to more than just vegetarian customers.
3. Regional Chili Varieties
2023 has welcomed the specificity of regional chilies, moving away from common red pepper flakes. From the continued appeal of Calabrian chilies, to the discovery of spices such as smoky Spanish ñora peppers, fruity Peruvian aji amarillo and Korean gochujang, pizzas are now dressed with these flavorful peppers.
Global Heat is one of our culinary creations, combining a selection of these regional chilies, each lending a distinctive spice profile to the pizza. This has especially caught on with our daring clientele.
4. Seasonal Foraged Ingredients
As seasonality and locality become more influential, foraged ingredients find their way onto pizzas. Leading this trend are wild mushrooms like chanterelles, morels, and hen of the woods, which appear during their respective seasons, enhanced by unique textures and elusive flavors not found in farmed varieties.
We've also incorporated ingredients like wild ramps, coastal sea greens including dulse and nori, and aromatic spruce tips, which connect our customers to nature and offer unparalleled flavors.
5. Specialty Honey Drizzles
The enchanting dance of honey in sweet and savory applications has proven to be more than a fleeting fad. Progressing from the well-received spicy honey, 2023 has unveiled a variety of specialty honeys used as finishing touches on pizzas. Infused or flavored with truffles, fermented garlic, smoky mesquite, along with other novel creations, they are redefining gourmet pizza experiences.
Honorable Mentions
Toppings that haven't made the top five, but are nonetheless creating a stir, include:
- Finely grated cured egg yolks, dusted over the pizza like flakes of gold
- Pickled stone fruits, bringing a tart contrast to savory profiles
- Heritage grains that add a crunchy texture, such as crispy farro or puffed sorghum
- Dollops of artisanal butter, enhancing flavor with each version, from cultured to herbed
Whether your preferences lie with the classics or skew towards the experimental, the world of pizza remains inclusive and continuously evolving. At ModernMarketPlace, we honor time-honored methods while welcoming culinary creativity, evident in our offering of both the quintessential Margherita and our own experimental pizzas.
Have these topping trends caught your eye? Do you have an innovative combination yet to make our list? Share your thoughts with us below or on your next visit!