Food
10 Pizza Hut Items You Can’t Get in America
Fast food chains around the world are not always the same when it comes to their menu offerings. Different cultures and different taste buds make for some very interesting combinations. So without having to pack a bag, let’s take a tour of 10 Pizza Hut items you can’t get in America.
10. Doritos Crunchy Crust Pizza
Pizza Hut Australia wanted to stand out from the crowd and not be outdone by its US counterpart, so in 2014 they teamed up with Doritos to create a crunchy pizza. The Doritos Crunchy Crust Pizza was born, but for a limited time only. It took the Pizza Hut master chefs months to perfect this pie before releasing it to the Australian public. It was basically a classic pepperoni pizza made with mozzarella stuffed crust, topped with Dorito Nachos chips on every inch of the crust. The nachos were cemented onto the pizza with cheddar and mozzarella cheese to hold everything in place. This impressive pizza was not only tasty but it had a unique sound factor as well. Pizza Hut Australia was so excited about this product that they spent loads of money to launch it, even holding an Apple-style press conference. It was a big deal and pizza lovers were abuzz and very eager to try out this new pizza concoction. Pizza Hut was so sure the Doritos Crunchy Crust Pizza was going to be a huge hit. But good things don’t last, and the hype was just that. Lots of people complained and they were very vocal. The major complaint was that the Doritos scattered around the edge would fall off, that they were usually charred or sometimes they just ended up with Doritos crumbs. For the extra $3.00 dollar cost of this special pizza, it would have been just as easy and cheaper to order a regular cheese stuffed pizza and add your own Doritos.
9. Pizza Hut’s Bulgogi Pizza
With the arrival of restaurant chains like Pizza Hut in Asia in the 1970’s, lots of fast food restaurants fine tuned their menus to fit the cuisine of the local market. As a way catering to homesick foreigners as well as the local population, Pizza Hut Japan offers the familiar along with the non traditional. Pizza Hut Japan and South Korea offer plenty of items you would not find back in America. The Bulgogi Crown Pocket Pizza is one such item. Inspired by its Korean roots, this pizza comes topped with bulgogi beef, which is slightly spicy and sweet, along with slivers of red pepper, chili flakes, chili oil, potato pieces, BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, mushrooms and mayo, plus a side order of ponzu dipping sauce. For those die-hard Bulgogi fans, this is simply fantastic. Korean style pizza tends to be complicated because of the non-traditional toppings. These pizzas tend to be more expensive and smaller in size. Many local pizza recipes use mayonnaise, avocado, eel, honey and other local products. Ingredients we would rarely see on a pizza in America, but no less delicious. Hungry foreigners traveling through Japan or South Korea can always try out this local pizza.
8. Behari Chicken Pizza
Another example of International restaurant menus being tailored to the regional cuisine comes from Pizza Hut in Pakistan. It offers most of the Italian classic pizzas, but an original item on their menu is the Behari Chicken pizza. Bihari Kabobs are a classic South Asian delicacy made with marinated Chicken. It is a common and popular dish served in many households. The marinade for the chicken contains goodies such as raw papaya, yogurt, onions and lemon juice, with added aromatic spices such as ginger, garlic, chili, turmeric, cumin, and garam masala. It is then grilled on a charcoal grill, giving it a smoky flavor. Pizza Hut Pakistan serves up the Behari Chicken Pizza, made with morsels of Behari chicken pieces, onions, green chilies or peppers, all topped with Mozzarella. This really does sound delicious. They also have lots of other pizzas on their menu topped with chicken. It’s a common topping due to cultural dietary restrictions. Other chicken pizzas on their menu include the Afghan Tikka, Chili Chicken, Chicken Tikka Supreme and Chicken Arabia. Lots of the pizzas come topped with onions and creamy sauces that resemble Butter Chicken in consistency and taste. And they all sound absolutely delicious.
7. Paneer Soya Supreme
Pizza is growing in popularity when it comes to fast food in India and Pizza Hut wants to be at the forefront. Much like in Pakistan, Pizza Hut India caters to the local palate and incorporates lots of regional cuisine ideas. Like most Asian markets, Indian pizzas are generally spicier and are more vegetable-oriented than those in other countries. Because of religious and cultural beliefs there, it is forbidden to eat beef. So international franchises opening in India have to modify their menu items. You will not find beef morsels on your pizza here. Instead, they offer a plethora of chicken-topped pizzas and lots of veggie pizzas. But the most unique pizza in India has to be the Paneer Soya Supreme. Made with Masala spiced soy chunks, it comes served with chilies, onions and paprika. Also, extra oregano spice packs are included with a typical pizza order in India. As for their veggie pizzas, they come topped with pickled ginger!
6. Butter Chicken Masala Pizza
Butter chicken has become so popular all over the world and especially in London, England. There is also a controversy about its origins. Londoners want to claim credit and say it was invented in England in the 1960’s. One thing is for sure, there are almost as many Indian restaurants as there are English pubs on the streets of London. It seems like Butter Chicken was indeed created in India at a sweet shop in the town of Peshawar. It was here that a young chef working in the kitchen with two others came up with the now ever so popular dish. One evening, purely by accident, they created this dish with leftover Tandoori chicken and whatever creamy based tomato sauce they had left in the kitchen. The trio later founded the Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi, India. Butter Chicken Masala Pizza with its thick creamy base, hint of spice and tender chicken pieces make it the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. The butter chicken pizza can be found on Sri Lanka’s Pizza Hut menu, but can also sometimes be found at some Canadian Pizza Huts as well. Not everything you top a pizza with will always taste great, but put it on a large naan style pizza bread and most people will go for it.
5. Fried Rice Chicken in Teriyaki Sauce Pizza
Pizza Hut first opened in China in 1990, and has since expanded into most major cities in China, with over 1300 outlets spread out over the country. Their presence, and that of other Italian-inspired restaurants, has contributed to a big increase in pizza consumption. This Pizza Hut China favorite, the Fried Rice Chicken Teriyaki Pizza, is another example to how menus are modified to please the local market. The menu includes more local ingredients, such as fish and seafood, soy sauce, corn and even durian. Tomato and mozzarella cheese are not very popular ingredients in China. The Fried Rice Chicken in Teriyaki Sauce Pizza sounds great to the palate of the Chinese people, however, for Americans, it might seem strange to have fried rice together with pizza dough—that’s a lot of carbs. Discounting some of the stranger menu items that may seem completely odd to the North American palate, the Chinese Pizza Hut menu looks pretty awesome. It is definitely much fancier than our traditional American menu. It offers wine and Afternoon Tea, as well as a long list of interesting drinks containing various pieces of fruit. It also has an extensive breakfast menu. Pizza Hut is known for its deep dish, greasy and amazing pizza and sides. It’s late-night comfort food at its best. In China, the restaurant experience itself seems to be much different than what we are accustomed to in America. The translation for Pizza Hut is Bìshèng Kè, a play on words and branding. It combines the characters for the words must, win, and guest—resulting in two possible meanings: Pizza Hut is the foreign restaurant (or guest) that must win in China, or Pizza Hut must win over its Chinese guests.
4. Crown Crust Carnival Pizza
Launched in 2014, Pizza Hut Dubai released a giant monster of a pizza with its own “Meaty Big Bites” slogan to go along with it. Basically, it’s a pizza with mini cheeseburgers set around the rim resembling a crown. The Crown Crust Carnival Pizza caused an international sensation when launched in the United Arab Emirates and in England for a limited time. Everyone thought it was a fad, but it still appears on UAE Pizza Hut menus. Marketed in UAE as a “fun treat to share” it features ten mini burgers topped with mozzarella embedded around the crust like crown jewels. This Pizza Hut creation looks fantastic. Between the shape and the colors, it’s like a work of art. The beef patties are almost folded into the crust, which stick out of the circumference of the pizza. Like the rest of the pizza, the hamburgers are topped with cheese, because you can never have enough cheese. This is one pizza that that would look good on the everyday Pizza Hut America menu.
3. Shrimp Tempura & Hot Dog Pizza
This wacky concept originated in China back in 2013. Whoever the brains were behind this idea, one thing is for sure, they took it too far. Some food pairings are just not meant to be. Perhaps in a moment of madness, the food scientist behind this creation decided to throw everything on top based on some random food cravings. And so the Pizza Hut Shrimp Tempura & Hot Dog Pizza was born. Not only is it very high on the calorie scale, it also has no flavor cohesion and looks to be a little bit of a mess. The taste is what really counts, and these two food combinations sound like they definitely clash. But this formula seems to be very popular in China, where many other fast food outlets also combine hot dogs with almost everything. Asia has some food items that are not so common in the American market. Other unusual pizza toppings found in China include items like very stinky fermented fish to yak penis. Yes, you heard right. That makes a shrimp and hot dog combo actually sound not so bad. The Shrimp Tempura & Hot Dog Pizza also comes topped with squid, fish cakes, pineapple, wasabi, and dabs of mayonnaise, with a hot dog-stuffed crust. This offers more insight into how foreign food outlets adjust their menu items for the local market. When it comes to pizza – anything goes!
2. Japanese Prawn Mayo Bacon Pizza
Pizza Hut Japan offers some the craziest pizzas on any menu by far. Toppings in Japan also differ from those found in the United States and are considered quite bizarre by American standards. Some of the unique pizza toppings found in Japan are fish, fish roe, squid, prawns, corn, potato, mayonnaise, wasabi, and soy sauce—but there’s also familiar bacon. The Prawn Mayo Bacon Pizza will hit the spot if you like seafood and bacon together. Adding some soy sauce makes it very salty, and mixed in with the bacon, the saltiness becomes lethal. With mayo and wasabi also added, it sounds even less appetizing. But heck, who are we to criticize, we haven’t tasted it, and the Japanese love it. We’re sure the locals enjoy the typical Japanese-style pizza, but after reading through internet forums by hungry foreigners, those who joyfully eat a slice from Japan are in the minority. Sometimes all you want is a taste of home and a boring old slice of pepperoni.
1. Cheesy Poutine Pizza
It’s now time to take a look at a pizza delicacy from somewhere a little closer to home. We head north to the country of Canada. The wizards at Pizza Hut Canada have outdone themselves once again. In 2013, they introduced the arrival of the Cheesy Beef Poutine pizza, a layered carb-fat monster that takes a French-Canadian classic junk food favorite to the max! This Pizza Hut classic takes it famous Pan Crust Pizza and turns it into something spectacular – a Cheesy Poutine Pizza. For those unaware of what a poutine actually is, it is French-Canadian creation consisting of french fries topped with cheese curds and covered with gravy. Pizza Hut Canada uses this as a base and adds seasoned steak pieces and more mozzarella cheese, to come up with this cheesy gooey mess. Want to make this pizza even better? We recommend adding bacon. This will make it a true Canadian classic and a truly delicious comfort food.