Make that “drinkable curry pizza.”

In Japan, you can find some rather eyebrow-raising pizza toppings. We’re not just talking about putting traditional Japanese ingredients, like teriyaki chicken or spicy cod roe, on a pie either, but also Western elements that usually aren’t considered pizza topping candidates outside Japan, such as sliced potatoes and mayonnaise.

So the options really are wide open for Pizza Hut Japan when it wants to get creative, and right now it’s doing so with its newest innovation: Japanese curry pizza.

But while this is certainly an intriguing idea, it might not be quite as random as it initially sounds. While Japanese-style curry is usually eaten over rice, Japanese bakeries sell various kinds of curry-filled breads too. And while the exact type of roux is different, Indian curry is also popular in Japan, especially when served with naan flatbread. Adding cheese to Japanese-style curry is also a pretty common choice, and giving pizza a little extra spice to its flavor profile is also something Japanese foodies often do, with many pizza places offering Tabasco sauce as one of their on-table condiments,

So taking all that into consideration, maybe curry pizza isn’t such a crazy concept after all. Arguably the biggest hurdle Pizza Hut’s curry pizza will have to clear is that the cheese used for it is Gouda, which tends to have a more pronounced aroma and sharper flavor than the mozzarella most closely associated with pizza or the cheddar-like sliced cheese that’s the go-to choice for cheese curry dishes.

Perhaps because of that, Pizza Hut is offering alternatives to diving head-first into its new menu item. While you can get a whole medium-size curry pizza for 2,230 yen (US$14.50), you can also get a personal-sized version for just 700 yen as set with a side of French fries or a 990-yen curry pizza/French fries/fried chicken set.

Officially, Pizza Hut is calling it the Nomeru Pizza Cheese Curry, or “Drinkable Cheese Curry Pizza,” referencing the creamy, melty texture of the toppings. It’s on sale now, and will be available until June 15.

Source, images: PR Times
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