Takeaway pizzas are big business in the UK. But have you ever thought that what a pizza really needs in order to tickle your taste buds is to have a hot dog embedded in its crust?
I haven’t, which is why I found it so odd when a Domino’s Pizza leaflet recently fell through my letterbox, urging me to try this new creation.
I’ve absolutely no idea why a pizza company would want to tie together such odd ingredients, particularly as the end result is so resoundingly unhealthy.
A medium-sized Domino’s hot dog crust pizza has just over three quarters of a woman’s daily calorie intake at 1,520 calories, over five teaspoons of sugar, 72g of fat and 31.2g of saturated fat, and 8.8g of salt (5g equates to a teaspoon).
Pizza Hut had the first slice of the action
Domino’s isn’t the only company that thinks hot dogs deserve their place inside a pizza crust, as Pizza Hut can claim the dubious honour of coming up with the original idea. In fact, simply having a hot dog inside the crust apparently isn’t enough for Pizza Hut – it now sells a pizza with a pull-apart crust that contains 28 mini hotdogs.
I’m not sure why someone at a Pizza Hut meeting would suddenly think that what the world is missing is a hot-dog-stuffed pizza, but I’m assuming they tested it on their customers and some must have liked it enough for it to be worth having on the menu.
There’s a time and a place for hot dogs
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve nothing against hot dogs. The one I ate on the quayside in New York having just stepped off the Staten Island ferry will always remain one of the most pleasurable eating experiences I’ve ever had.
And I’ve nothing against unhealthy food, provided it’s clearly labelled – preferably with the traffic light labelling scheme we’ve campaigned for. But food ultimately needs to be appetising and the thought of a hot-dog-stuffed crust just doesn’t cut the mustard (if you’ll excuse the pun).
For me, a pizza should be thin-crust with plenty of fresh ingredients scattered on top. OK, so not everyone shares my taste, but it seems peculiar to market something that’s so far removed from most people’s concept of what a pizza should be.
Do you think a hot dog pizza crust is a step too far, or would you happily buy one? What’s the oddest food creation you’ve come across?