Calzone

Not to be confused with canzone.

Calzone

A fried calzone from Apulia in southern Italy
Origin
Place of origin	Italy
Details
Type	Turnover
Main ingredient(s)	ricotta, mozzarella, salami/ham, parmesan/pecorino
Variations	tomato, provolone, anchovies, olives, onions, chards, minced meat, wge, fish, cabbage

Calzone topped with tomato sauce, cheese, pine nuts and pesto, as served in Theix, France

A calzone (/kælˈzoʊni/, US /kælˈzoʊneɪ/ or /kælˈzoʊn/, UK /kælˈtsoʊni/; Italian: [kalˈtsoːne], "stocking" or "trouser") is an Italian oven-baked filled pizza, shaped like a folded pizza. The calzone originated in Naples. A typical calzone is made from salted bread dough, baked in an oven and stuffed with salami or ham, mozzarella, ricotta and Parmesan or pecorino cheese, as well as an egg. Different regional variations on a calzone can often include other ingredients that are normally associated with pizza toppings. Smaller calzones can also be fried in olive oil instead of being baked in an oven.

Regional variations

In Italy

Sandwich-sized calzones are often sold at Italian lunch counters or by street vendors, because they are easy to eat while standing up or walking. Fried versions of the calzone are typically filled with tomato and mozzarella: these are made in Apulia and called panzerotti.

The Sicilian cuddiruni, or cudduruni pizza is distantly related to the calzone. This is a dish stuffed with onions (or sometimes other vegetables, such as potatoes or broccoli), anchovies, olives, cheese and mortadella; the rolled pizza dough is folded in two over the stuffing and the edges are sealed before the dish is fried.

In the United States

In the United States, calzones are typically made from pizza dough and stuffed with meats, cheeses and vegetables. Traditional calzone dough consists of flour, yeast, olive oil, water and salt. Calzones are similar to stromboli; traditionally, though, the two are different dishes.

As a rule, calzones are usually stuffed with cheeses such as ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, provolone or a different local cheese. The dough is folded into a half-moon shape, then either sealed with an egg mixture or shaped into a sphere. It is then either baked or fried. After being cooked, calzones might be served with marinara sauce, or alternatively topped with a combination of garlic, olive oil, and parsley: this depends on the region.

Scacciata is a similar dish to a calzone; however, this dish is normally filled with either broccoli, spinach, potatoes or onions, and sometimes sausage.

Sausage rolls (originally developed in Fort Wayne, Indiana) look similar to calzones, although they are folded at the top rather than along the edges. They did not develop from calzones, though: instead, they developed from rolled-up pizzas, similar to sausage bread.

In popular culture

In the situation comedy Seinfeld, George Costanza’s boss (George Michael Steinbrenner III) repeatedly asks George to buy some calzones.

See also

• Bridie - Scottish savory turnover
• Chiburekki
• Empanada - similar dish from Iberia and Latin America
• Fleischkuekle - German-Russian meat pie
• Kalitsounia
• List of Italian dishes
• List of pastries
• Paste - a similar Mexican dish
• Pasty - a similar UK dish
• Turnover (food) - a sweet or savory filled pastry
• Food portal