One thing that I love about this move is finding all of the little differences between our cultures. For instance, pizza in the USA is quite different than pizza in Sweden.
The pizza that I had growing up was the Chicago inspired deep dish, the kind that had the long strings of cheese that followed the slice from the box to your plate. 1 or 2 pieces nearly put you into cardiac arrest, but it was SO worth it!
Sweden loves pizza! We have many immigrants here from Italy, 
Greece and the Middle East. Consequently we seem to have lots of pizzarias! Here in Jönköping, we have one on just about every block! Pizza here is baked in giant ovens and is very thin. It is so thin that it is very easy to eat an entire pizza by yourself. I think that is the idea anyway.
Toppings!
Here is where things get a little interesting…It is common in Sweden to have 80-100 different pizzas on the menu. My eyes were awakend to a whole new world of food experimentation. Of course the classics are here too… pepperoni, ham and pineapple ect. But why try those when you can have…
Pizza #44 The Cyrus: mushrooms, onion, pineapple, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, FRENCH FRIES, kebab sauce and kebab meat
Pizza #47 Milano: chicken, banannas, curry
Pizzas #50-56 all have some variation with shrimp, mussles, and TUNA FISH?
Pizza #18 Amadaus: Ham, bacon, eggs, onions
Pizza #29 The Batman: Bannanas, Mandarins, beef fillet, curry and Gravy. Mmmm…Gravy…
Please do not take this the wrong way. The pizza here is amazing! You do not HAVE to order a tuna and gravy pizza. They just want you to know that they will gladly make one for you if you get the craving.
When I first moved here my Swedish was pretty rough and I ordered the wrong pizza by mistake. So if you are wondering… sour cream actually tastes pretty good on a pizza!
blips said,
October 5, 2006 at 10:03 pm
Can I have a number 18 to go?
Johanna said,
October 6, 2006 at 3:00 am
Sam! When it comes to the pizza dough, the thickness and also the amount of cheese put on a pizza, which do you prefer: Swedish or American? Which is your own favorite pizza off the menu? Which was your favorite pizza place in the States?
In the States I hardly ever ate pizza. It tastes good at first but then you feel so full and heavy in your stomach that you think you’re sick! I don’t eat pizza very often here either, but I like it more, because of the variety and don’t forget to mention the immense difference in price! A one-topping in the States cost 9.99. A pizza in Sweden with six toppings including sirloin steak filet cost about 7 dollars.
Now I’m getting hungry… Lunch is around the corner an hour from now!
Jo
Mirjam said,
October 6, 2006 at 3:29 am
great… isn’t it strange how many pizza places we have! Just a little fun fact… the gyro pizza or in Swedish.. kebabpizza… was first invented here in Jönköping! Not that I like it but I guess it is something they are proud of here in Jönköping… it’s even mentioned in their tourist information guide book.
Sam said,
October 6, 2006 at 3:30 am
Thats a tough call…They are in different categories. I miss USA pizza, but I know that when I am visiting the states I will miss Swedish pizza. My favorites are Homesteaders Pizza (from my hometown in MT) and a place called UNOs in Edina. VERY thick pizza, but they have a Buffalo Wing Pizza there that is unbeliveable!
I really like the mexican pizzas here in Sweden, they put jalepenios and some sort of red sauce…REALLY GOOD! The classic capriccosa and champinjoner is really tasty too!
Maxoma said,
October 6, 2006 at 7:52 pm
ohhhhhhh by the time I was reading pizza #47, I found myself involuntarily clapping! Blips says, ‘what are you reading?’…and I told him the pizza menu from Sweden. Those would be so exciting to try. I love thin pizza and here I have to pay extra to get a thin pizza. Yah, Johanna, the thick ones just put me to sleep. That is all so interesting. In the Netherlands, there is a shoarma pizza that sounds like the kebab pizza. No one here(MN) knows what wonderful combos there are out there. Thanks for the pics Sam, this was so interesting. (resisting the temptation to give you a standing ovation)
Mom & Dad said,
October 7, 2006 at 8:06 am
OK, when you say pizza I have to vote for Eugene’s in Glasgow. Very thin crust and just the basic toppings (about 16 kinds)and I’ve tried them all but the anchovies. Doug says in his travels some places top off the pizza with a raw egg in the middle, MMMMM I know its likely #98 on your menu. However my favorite is the grilled pizza’a we make on our barbecue grill. Come on over I’ll cook enough for everyone.
Sam said,
October 7, 2006 at 12:55 pm
Yeah, Eugenes was cool because they would twirl the pizza dough and throw it up in the air. I am looking forward to “grilled” pizza… can we do that in Feb?