Expert shares etiquette: this is how you should really eat pizza
There is quite a bit of disagreement about how you’re supposed to eat pizza. Personally, I always eat it with a knife and fork, but there’s a psychological reason for that: it takes me longer to eat my pizza this way, so I can enjoy it for longer. Which sounds perfectly logical to me. But it often does get me some strange looks from other people, who would rather fold it up and wolf it down in one go. But how are you really supposed to eat pizza?
British etiquette coach William Hanson finally has the answer for us.
Pizza etiquette has changed over the years
We are being confronted with increasingly stranger pizzas (sushi pizza?!) In the past, Hawaiian pizza was the height of weirdness, but these days we no longer bat an eyelid at a fried egg, fries or even Nutella on our pizza. And according to Hanson, that absolutely affects how the pizza should be eaten — because it depends on what you order.
Let’s start at the beginning: the Margherita. According to Hanson, pizza was essentially designed to be eaten with your hands — and that is also how you should eat a Margherita, or a pizza with, for example, pepperoni or ham. ‘Each slice should be picked up and folded inward. When a slice becomes too floppy, you may use your other hand to support it.’ Okay, noted — you should therefore eat basic pizzas with one hand, although you may use the other when necessary.
Every pizza is different
But now that we are suddenly eating eggs on our pizza, it simply becomes too messy to eat with your hands — according to Hanson. And then it’s perfectly acceptable to use a knife and fork — so it entirely depends on which toppings you have on your pizza. Because if you have a lot of meat and/or vegetables and the pizza becomes too heavy, he says you should also reach for your knife and fork.
There are two more exceptions: deep-pan pizzas, or Chicago-style pizzas, must always be eaten with a knife and fork… And the square slices you often come across in Italy should always be eaten with your hands. But I would mainly recommend simply eating it however you feel most comfortable, unless the queen is coming to dinner, of course. Then you must always follow etiquette.
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