| Calzone | |
| Country: | Italy |
| Region: | Southern Italy |
| Type: | Folded pizza, turnover |
| Main Ingredient: | Prosciutto/salami, mozzarella/ricotta, Parmesan/pecorino |
Calzone[1] is an Italian oven-baked turnover, made with leavened dough.[2] [3] It originated in Naples in the 18th century.[4] A typical calzone is made from salted bread dough, baked in an oven and stuffed with prosciutto or salami, mozzarella or ricotta, and Parmesan or pecorino, as well as an egg. Different regional variations in or on a calzone can often include other ingredients that are normally associated with pizza toppings. The term usually applies to an oven-baked turnover rather than a fried pastry (i.e. panzerotti), although calzoni and panzerotti are often mistaken for each other.[5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
Stromboli, an Italian-American pizza turnover, is similar to calzone, and the two are sometimes confused.[10] [11] Unlike strombolis, which are generally rolled or folded into a cylindrical or rectangular shape, calzoni are always folded into a crescent shape, and typically do not contain tomato sauce inside.[12]
Sandwich-sized calzoni are often sold at Italian lunch counters or by street vendors, because they are easy to eat while standing or walking.[13] Fried versions of the calzone are typically filled with tomato and mozzarella; these are made in Apulia and are called "panzerotti".[14]
In Basilicata, a variety of calzone is known as pastizz or u' pastizz 'rtunnar, which originated between the 18th and 19th century.[15] Pork (or, more rarely, goat meat), eggs, and cheese are main ingredients for the filling.
In the Sephardic Jewish cuisine of Safed and Tiberias, Israel, there is a dish known as calsones or caltzones. These are pockets similar to ravioli, filled with tzfatit, a sheep's milk cheese produced locally in Safed. The dish is thought to have originated with Jews from Italy and Spain during the post-Inquisition era. These migrating Jews introduced it to Syria and eventually to Israel, where it is traditionally served during the Jewish festival of Shavuot.[16]