The Secret To Properly Adding Cheese To A Calzone

Pizza is such an integral part of the modern foodie's life that it can be hard to avoid it or think about it. But not many of us can resist the temptation to eat a few slices of this cheesy Italian concoction. Even some pop culture icons had a weak spot for a cheesy slice of heaven, such as "The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," Kevin McAllister from "Home Alone," and Joey from the hit TV show "Friends."

And although pizza was invented in Italy, nowadays, it's popular throughout the world, so much so that it's actually among the most popular foods in the world, according to a YouGov survey of 24 countries. And pizza is especially popular in the U.S. Statista reports that in 2021, the sales of pizza, whether in restaurants, takeout, or delivery, were more than $45 billion, which is a staggering number. People must really love their pizza, but did you know that not all pizzas are round? 

Baking How reveals that in Italy, there are also square-shaped pizzas, such as pizza al taglio, and pizza alla pala, which is oval-shaped. Most pizzas are round because it's easier to prepare and cut when shaped into a circle. But you've probably also eaten a calzone, which is essentially a round pizza folded in half. And if you want to make your own, here's how to add cheese to your calzone properly.

A round New York-style pizza was the favorite choice of "The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," but Ben from the comedy show "Parks and Recreation" was more into the calzone zone with his low-calorie calzones, also called inside-out pizzas (per YouTube). Calzone originated in Naples in the 1700s as uncooked pizza that's folded in half before baking. It was popular as street food and was meant to be eaten on the go, without any utensils. Interestingly enough, the name calzone means "pant leg" or "trouser leg" in Italian, referring to its intended purpose of mess-free eating while walking around town (via Spizzico Restaurant). 

Just don't confuse calzone with panzerotti, which are smaller than calzone, deep-fried, and originate from Apulia (per Tuscan Eats). And if you thought stromboli is the same as a calzone, it's not: Stromboli originates from Philadelphia, it's larger and longer than a calzone, and it's cut into slices before serving (per DeLallo). 

If you want to make your own calzone, keep in mind that they're usually stuffed with cheese such as mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, and ricotta. Most people make the mistake of putting too much ricotta cheese in, resulting in a slightly soupy and messy calzone. In order to avoid it, scatter more mozzarella than ricotta so that it fully covers the other toppings. This will result in better calzones with those heavenly cheese pulls appearing once you start eating (per Real Simple). We're already salivating at the thought.