| Calzone | |
| Country: | Italy |
| Region: | Southern Italy |
| Type: | Folded pizza, turnover |
| Main Ingredient: | Ricotta, mozzarella, salami/prosciutto, Parmesan/pecorino |
Calzone (pronounced as /it/; : calzoni; 'stocking' or 'trouser')[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 salami, prosciutto or vegetables, mozzarella, ricotta and Parmesan or pecorino cheese, 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 Jewish cuisine, there is a dish called calsones (pronounced caltzones). It consists of pockets similar to ravioli, filled with tzfatit, a sheep's milk cheese locally made in Safed, Israel. This dish is believed to have originated with Jews from Italy and Spain during the post-Inquisition era. Migrating Jews brought it to Syria and eventually to Israel, where it is served in Safed and Tiberias during the Jewish festival of Shavuot.[16]