No fewer than five nations are involved in the Malatang Pizza.
Pizza Hut Japan has always been an example of culinary cross-culturalism, but it’s become even more enthusiastically eclectic with some of its recent offerings, such as the chrysanthemum tsukimi and drinkable curry pizzas we saw earlier in the year. Now the chain has yet another innovation in their ovens with the launch of the Malatang Pizza.
The inspiration comes from the spicy Chinese noodle hot pot style called malatang, which originated in the Sichuan region.
Instead of Pizza Hut’s standard tomato sauce, the Malatang Pizza uses a mixture of Sichuan peppercorns and chili oil for a tinglingly spicy blend.
Also part of the package are sliced pork, wood ear mushrooms (called kikurage in Japanese), and what Pizza Hut describes as “Korean-style glass noodles.”
Tying everything together is a two-cheese blend of mozzarella and gouda, resulting in a mix of Chinese, Korean, and Italian elements, all offered by the Japanese arm of an American restaurant chain.
Of course, malatang isn’t a dish that Pizza Hut has a lot of first-hand experience with, so the new pizza was developed under the guidance of Chipao Maratan, a popular malatang specialty restaurant chain with branches in eastern, northern, and central Japan which regularly have long lines of local customers waiting to get in.
In addition to the standard Malatang Pizza (which starts at 880 yen (US$5.50) for a small, Pizza Hut also has a fancier Seafood Malatang Pizza (from 1,490 yen) with shrimp and squid…
…plus a Vegetable Malatang Pizza (from 1,310 yen) with asparagus and corn, proving once again that there is no way of completely dissuading Japan from putting corn on pizza.
The Malatang Pizza joined the Pizza Hut Japan menu on October 8 and will be available until November 4.
Source: Pizza Hut Japan
Top image: Pizza Hut Japan
Insert images: Pizza Hut Japan, PR Times
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