In its essence, the calzone is a stuffed pizza that’s folded over in half, closed and then baked. Like pizza, calzone originated in Italy and was invented for the working class as the half-moon shaped pie held relatively inexpensive ingredients and required minimal prep time. The word calzone literally translates to “pant leg” or “trouser,” which seems quite fitting given the pastry’s ability to hold various fillings. Hence in Italy, it is still common for street vendors to sell sandwich-sized versions at lunchtime because they’re easy to eat standing up.
Calzone dough is different from pizza though since it is traditionally made with salted bread dough using yeast, olive oil, water, flour, and salt. When correctly prepared, the calzone’s outer crust is baked to crispy perfection while the inside filling contains a warm, gooey blend of ricotta and mozzarella cheese alongside an assortment of hearty meats and vegetables.
There have been many discussions on whether the calzone beats the pizza and if you’re indecisive on what to order next time, read on to find out what pie would fit your craving best when it comes to the debate calzone versus the pizza.
Portability
Many people think of the calzone as a handier interpretation of a pizza slice — a calzone is way more portable than pizza as it fits perfectly in one hand, making it the ideal handheld meal. Its perfect for a work lunch as the crust prevents you from getting greasy hands and you don’t have time to sit down with a knife and fork.
Sharing with others
Pizza on the upside is very adaptable as it can be eaten by the slice or a large one easily be shared by all the family members or friends gathered around the table. Perfectly hand-sized, the calzone is an ideal meal for one, eaten on the go when there’s little time to stop.
Filling variety
Traditionally calzone was a stuffed pie with ricotta and mozzarella cheese or pecorino cheese. Unlike pizza, which can handle only a limited amount of toppings, calzones can be stuffed with heaps of ingredients that simply wouldn’t fit on a pizza all at once. Fillings can be very complex, for example, a gourmet pie might enclose chopped chicory hearts, unsalted anchovy fillets chopped fine capers, pitted sliced black olives, currants, garlic, and an egg yolk, making choices more flexible than pizza toppings.
Endless crust
Also for crust lovers, calzone will score more points than pizza since the flatbread only has crust around it, whereas calzone will let you have the crunchy crust with every bite.
Stay hot
In addition to holding many ingredients, compared to pizza calzones stay hotter for longer with all its gooey cheese in it, making them the perfect takeaway and delivery food.
Eating experience
Thanks to their unique ‘half-moon’ shape, the cooking and eating experience of a calzone is totally different to pizza since the ingredients are all hidden inside, thus the eating experience is more exciting. At first bite the complex stuffing might come as a surprise , this is why pie lovers often prefer calzone to pizza. Pizza, on the other hand, has the huge advantage that the cheese on top might have caramelized prone to direct heat at baking, leaving you with the perfect gooey cheese strings while munching away.
Cooking time
For pizza defenders, there is also the advantage that pizza can be cooked faster than a calzone. This is because the Calzone retains more air and volume and therefore takes more time for the ingredients to be cooked through.
If all these facts still haven’t helped you to make your mind up, never mind. Pizza is always delicious, no matter the shape. And while you’re still pondering over the above debate, call your favourite pizza delivery store for the tested and tried method. After all, you can also basically turn your favourite pizza into a calzone by just folding it anyway.
