[Photograph: (left) Adam Kuban; (right) Robyn Lee]
Despite not even being of Italian origin, pepperoni is the number one default pizza topping. The mass-produced American product is most ubiquitous in its thin sliced form. And despite some pepperoni backlash in 2008, the "bastard" pizza topping is still going strong. So much so that higher-end salumerias are producing versions that can be thick sliced to produce the kind of porky discs that curl into cups and crisp up around the edges—which was the muse for the Best 'Pie-ku' Ever:
Crisp pepperoni,
Edge curled from heat,
A chalice of sweet, hot oil.
--submitted by Mr. Sin in a June 2005 "pie-ku" contest we held
With the options available today, do you like thin wide slices of spicy, salty pork rounds to meld into your pie, or do you prefer the thick, curled, crisp, and chewy slices of 'roni?
See also: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Pepperoni »
About the author: Meredith Smith is the Slice editor. You can follow her on Twitter: @mertsmith.