A regional Canadian way to put pepperoni on pizza is slicing up the internet – though some say it’s the best way to savor the salty topping.
An Ontario resident took to X and shared the innovative way that people in Windsor, Ontario do pep-pizza – drawing millions of views and dividing respondents.
X account @OxfordW0lf shared a photo of pizza featuring shredded pepperoni as a topping, writing, “Fun fact about Ontario (where I live) is that we shred our pepperoni before putting it on pizza.”
Windsor-style pizza is characterized by thin strips of shredded pepperoni that cover the entire
pie, as opposed to the traditional American pepperoni slices sometimes referred to as cups. OxfordW0lf/XThe 18-year-old poster later clarified that the shredded pepperoni method is specific to Windsor, a neighbor of Detroit, separated only by the Detroit River.
The photo shows a layer of thin strips of pepperoni spread across a tasty-looking pizza.
The unconventional pepperoni preparation differs quite a bit from the standard circular pepperoni cups most Americans are used to seeing atop their cheese slices.
The ingenuity drew appreciation from some users online — and hatred from others.
“This seems like an excellent idea,” X user @Daramgar wrote, “I hate halfway biting into a slice only to pull out an entire disc of pepperoni, and with it drags out everything it was attached to. It takes away from the pepperoni meant for later. It being thinner would allow it to get crispy instead of hard.”
Shredded pepperoni pie is specific to Windsor and not made in any other part
of Canada. Facebook“Does this make the pizza taste better or worse?” user @caracatt asked.
To which the original poster responded, “A lot better tbh. It makes it so there’s pepperoni in every bite.”
Another fan agreed.
“I will SCREAM from the rooftops about Windsor pizza being the best pizza you’ll ever eat,” wrote X user @JuiceBoxxQueen.
Other users were not so keen on the iconoclastic presentation.
“Wow I thought I hated Canadians enough, turns out I was wrong,” wrote user @PunishedCHJ.
Windsor-style pizza has its own history that is reflective of the small, niche region where it originated.
The shredded pepperoni preparation is said to give eaters a bit of pepperoni in every bite. Michael SofronskiWindsor is Canada’s southernmost city and was once the “automotive capital of Canada.” Many immigrants – including Italians and Greeks – flocked to the city seeking well-paying car-making jobs.
Those immigrants left a legacy of Windsor-style pizza which is not seen anywhere else in Ontario or Canada.
But even locals aren’t sure who invented the signature pie.
Local lore says Windsor-style pie originated in one of three restaurants: Sam’s Pizzeria, Volcano Pizzeria, or Mario’s Restaurant, according to Windsor Public Library.
The style is characterized entirely by the shredded pepperoni topping. Its purpose, according to experts, is to give a bite of pepperoni in each mouthful.
