FOOD NEWS
Australian-Style Pizza Is The Embodiment Of Breakfast For Dinner
By MARIA SCINTO
Breakfast pizza is a thing in the U.S., but Australian-style pizza takes the concept a step further by adding pineapple. Some feel this pizza encapsulates the essence of Australia.
In post-WWII Australia, gourmet pizzas entered migrant-opened restaurants. Toto's Pizza House opened in Melbourne in 1961, and was supposedly Australia’s first proper pizza parlor.
The iconic Aussie pizza, credited to Toto's owner Salvatore della Bruna, included pineapple, a topping that Bruna said would have appalled his old-school papà.
A typical Aussie pizza features a standard crust topped with barbecue sauce, mozzarella cheese, red onions, fried eggs, and distinctive thick-cut bacon, resembling Canadian bacon.
Toto’s, and thus the original Aussie pie, were put out of business in 2020. Major pizza chains, including Domino's and Pizza Hut, have removed the Aussie pizza from their menus.
However, a few smaller pizzerias continue to serve this dish, albeit without pineapple. Jojoes Pizza and Aussie Pizza and Pasta are keeping the tradition alive in Victoria.
It’s possible to make Aussie pizza at home. Take a pizza crust, slather it with barbecue sauce, add the usual mozzarella and Canadian bacon, and crack an egg on top before baking.