Deep fried pizza (Italian: pizza fritta) is a dish consisting of a pizza that, instead of being baked in an oven, is deep fried, resulting in a different flavour and nutritional profile. This technique is known in both Italy and Scotland, but there are numerous differences between the Italian and Scottish variants, which probably developed independently.
The Italian dish of pizza fritta (pl.: pizze fritte) originated in Naples, and is usually made by frying a disc of pizza dough before applying toppings and serving. Alternatively, the fillings may be enclosed in a pocket of dough like a calzone, which is then fried. Frying allows one to prepare a pizza without a pizza oven, for example from a street food cart, where an oven is impractical.[1]
Scotland
Deep fried pizza is available in some chip shops in Scotland.[2][3] The basis is an inexpensive fresh or frozen oven-ready pizza, consisting of a thick parbaked base with toppings already applied. This is then fried until crisp. The dish can be served as a "pizza supper" (with chips) or single (without chips), in whole and half pizza portions. The dish may be served with salt and vinegar, or with "salt and sauce" (a mixture of brown sauce and vinegar) in Edinburgh and the surrounding area, according to the custom of local chip shops. Often the chips will be poured onto one side of the pizza, and the pizza then closed around them.
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 a hearty amount of chips and vinegar (which is then called a "Pizza Crunch Supper").
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