Iranian pizza facts for kids

A special Persian-style pizza (Makhsoos)

A mixed Persian-style pizza (Makhloot)

Iranian pizza (also known as Persian pizza) is a special type of pizza from Iran. It's known for its thick crust and lots of cheese. This pizza is popular in Iran and in places where people from Iran have moved to, called the Iranian diaspora.

Iranian pizza often has ingredients like minced meat, beef sausage, bell pepper, mushroom, and mozzarella cheese. It also uses special Persian spices to give it a unique taste.

What Makes Iranian Pizza Special?

Persian pizza tastes unique because of the many different ingredients used. You can find Iranian/Persian pizza with either a thick or a thin crust. The thinner versions are similar to Roman pizza but have fewer toppings.

However, traditional Persian pizza is famous for having lots of toppings. These usually include a mix of different meats, sausages, and vegetables. Common vegetables are bell pepper, mushroom, and white onion. All these toppings are covered with a thick layer of panir-e-pizza, which is pizza cheese. This is usually spread over a handmade dough that is medium thick.

Popular Kinds of Persian Pizza

Almost every Persian pizza place offers two main types of pizza:

• Makhloot (Mixed): This pizza usually has ground beef, different kinds of sausage, mushroom, bell pepper, and onion.
• Makhsoos (Special): This one has the same ingredients as Makhloot but without the ground beef.

Recently, chicken pizzas (like Chicken Pesto or BBQ Chicken) and vegetable pizzas have become popular. Vegetable pizzas might include bell pepper, mushroom, corn, and tomato.

The main spices used in Persian-style pizza are Avishan (Oregano), red pepper powder, black pepper, and dried garlic powder.

Some pizzerias in Tehran, the capital of Iran, serve Iranian pizza without tomato sauce. In these places, ketchup is often used as a dipping sauce, which is different from Italian pizzerias.

See also

In Spanish: Pizza iraní para niños