Every now and then, your pizza needs something extra. I mean, it’s not the pizza that’s the problem, it’s a mere personal preference, right?

Wrong.

If you have to end up going to such extremes, something has gone terribly wrong.

Apparently.

While you’re more than welcome to eat your pizza the way you want, it turns out dipping it, lathering it, and even eating your crust is sacrilege in the eyes of Italians, reports Independent:

Pizza has exploded in popularity across the world since the late nineteenth century thanks to Italian migrants setting up stalls in New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia and Saint Louis. In a handful of decades, dips became a way to up-sell pizzas, with Papa John’s being the first chain to make a sauce specifically for crusts in 1984, according to Eater.

By 2001, Pizza Hut had unveiled a dip menu including BBQ, garlic sauce, ranch, blue cheese and nacho cheese for $1 a pop and copyrighted the phrase “Don’t Skip the Dip”.

Adding insult to injury were those using a knife and fork – shudder – to chop their pizza into tiny bite size segments rather than simply folding it and posting it into their mouths.

And while those are mere suggestions, Italian Silvia Baldini, Food Network’s Chopped winner who trained in Michelin-starred kitchens, had to agree:

“I absolutely do not dip pizza crust.

“In fact I don’t even eat the crust. Most Italians know the crust is just a handle to hold the pizza slice, therefore we leave it behind, on the side of the plate, in a neat pile. It’s a great way to keep track of how many pizza slices one’s eats, like a badge of honor [sic].

“If the restaurant changes you extra for dipping sauce pots, run my friend. Run.”

Whoa there, girl.

But that shouldn’t matter.

The one and only Butler’s not only doesn’t offer “extra” dipping sauce options, but they definitely don’t need any extras to make their pizzas more appealing – especially if The Rotherham is on the top of your order list.

You see, a pizza that needs to be added to implies that the toppings have been badly chosen, lacking a good mix of flavours including a bit of a punch.

It’s simply not a pizza. Sorry, bud.

But like I said, eat how you want, this isn’t Italia.

[source:independent]