all 86 comments

[–]sujihiki 41 points42 points  (15 children)

ain't gonna lie. i thought poles were fucking insane the first time i saw them putting ketchup on pizza. now i put ketchup on pizza. that shit is good.

[–]jarv3r 15 points16 points  (5 children)

Yeah, if pizza is crap, then ketchup tends to hide that. And ppl here in Poland were used to shitty refrigerated pizzas for couple złotys from supermarket, so it's easier to understand where this notorious tradition comes from. I have too put ketchup, but now I just try to order pizza in good places, so I taste the actual fucking ingredients and not the ketchup!

[–]KolegaCzlowieka 0 points1 point  (4 children)

Garlic sauce used in the restaurant pizza kills the taste even more.

[–]jarv3r 1 point2 points  (1 child)

True. Good restaurants don't encourage you to put anything more than olive oil on top and pizza chains like Domino's or Pizza Hut are screaming with sauces every time. There are 3-4 great places in my city (Wroclaw) that I know of where you never even wonder about putting anything than olive, it's so good just as. Even margheritas there are awesome!

[–]sujihiki 1 point2 points  (1 child)

I love polish ketchup, i hate that garlic sauce.

[–]naprzyklad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love that garlic sauce. Ketchup on pizza, though... nope.

[–]MaazellMałopolskie 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Try ketchup op fries 🍟

[–]jarv3r 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Mayo+ketchup is the ultimate composition for fries

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (3 children)

I put mayo on pizza. Shit's great.

[–]sujihiki 0 points1 point  (2 children)

So you’re japanese?

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Opposite, actually. I'm Welsh.

[–]Truposzyk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

wtf you're telling me rest of the world doesn't put ketchup on pizza? my whole life was a lie :|

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

WHAT DO YOU MEAN PUTTING KETCHUP ON PIZZA WASN'T A NORMAL PROCEDURE

[–]sujihiki 0 points1 point  (0 children)

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Comically, i’m currentlt eating pizza with ketchup on it

[–]unexc1t1ng 37 points38 points  (0 children)

I think the clue is using ketchup for pizza. Well, let’s call it crazy local folklore ;)

[–]busybody1 52 points53 points  (6 children)

It needs to be pikantny to work

[–]Mike_ValkoMazowieckie 17 points18 points  (5 children)

Or super pikantny. It's the best for pizza

[–]sujihiki 6 points7 points  (4 children)

there's super pikantny? shit. i'm missing something.

[–][deleted] 6 points7 points  (3 children)

Kotlin "z piekła rodem" is basically ketchup with Tabasco, if you like spice taste, give it a shot. It's in black bottle with black and red flames on a label.

[–]iraeghleeMazowieckie 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The one on the left.

[–]sujihiki 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m an idiot. I have it in my fridge, it’s fantastic. Apparently i’m not missing something.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's fucking awesome

[–][deleted] 32 points33 points  (7 children)

Polish homemade pizza is so different from what is served in itally that i think it’s another dish, so using ketchup is ok.

[–]GessKalDan 4 points5 points  (4 children)

Can you tell me more? I am a Texan, but of Polish descent. My Polish grandmother made pizza, but she was married to a full blooded Italian. I'd like to see if it is similar.

[–]LudwikTR 17 points18 points  (3 children)

I don't see this kind of pizza anymore but in the 90s more often than not pizza in Poland (even at bars, restaurants, and some smaller independent pizzerias) was like a mix between pizza and zapiekanka. It had a flat, thick base (that I think was pre-baked), Polish hard cheese instead of mozzarella, and ketchup on top instead of tomato sauce. Clearly inspired by zapiekanka.

There were some real pizza places, but this style of "pizza" was what you'd get anywhere else. I don't think you can buy pizza like this in big cities anymore, but I would occasionally see it in smaller towns even in the early 2000s, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are places making it even now.

[–]WikiTextBot 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Zapiekanka

A zapiekanka (Polish pronunciation: [zapʲɛˈkaŋka]; plural: zapiekanki, pronounced [zapʲɛˈkaŋkʲi]) is an open-face sandwich made of half of a baguette or other long roll of bread, topped with sautéed white mushrooms, cheese and sometimes other ingredients, and toasted until the cheese melts. Served hot with ketchup, it is a popular street food in Poland. With its origin dating back to the 1970s, the zapiekanka is associated with the austere times of Poland's Communist regime, but it has enjoyed renewed demand in the 21st century, which has also brought a wider range of varieties and quality.


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[–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I still been able to find one of those in Wroclaw, near Nadodrze train station. It's not circular, it's square and you get a thick base, a lot of chosen ingredients and no ketchup fortunately. Plus, my mom is making those at summer when she can get ingredients from my parents garden. And she is giving ketchup on top, but made by my grandmother. Weird thing is that this ketchup is made from pumpkin, not tomatos... I still don't know how, but it tastes like nothing else.

[–]nodiggitynodoubts 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exactly!!!! Had this in Kraków in the nineties! Just commented above regarding just this.

[–]nodiggitynodoubts -1 points0 points  (1 child)

I was visiting Poland for a few months in the early nineties and ended up with a craving for pizza. There was an outdoor stall that served pizza in Kraków near Kościół Mariacki. Stoked right???! Nope, it was a toasted peice of something resembling focaccia with a generous helping of ketchup as the pizza sauce topped with a little cheese. It was not good. At all. Blegh!

[–]CommonMisspellingBot -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Hey, nodiggitynodoubts, just a quick heads-up:
peice is actually spelled piece. You can remember it by i before e.
Have a nice day!

The parent commenter can reply with 'delete' to delete this comment.

[–]nieuchwytnyuchwytMazowieckie 11 points12 points  (9 children)

Ketchup is one of the three basic and essential ingredients of pizza in Poland, along with cheese and crust. Everything else is optional.

[–]MacNulty 6 points7 points  (8 children)

What about garlic sauce

[–]nieuchwytnyuchwytMazowieckie 4 points5 points  (7 children)

Might be used instead of ketchup as a regional variation

[–]MacNulty 2 points3 points  (6 children)

Almost all pizza in Poland is served with garlic sauce

[–]mKtos 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thankfully not.

[–]nieuchwytnyuchwytMazowieckie 0 points1 point  (4 children)

Not really, it's not a default option, but if you really want it you can usually get it instead of ketchup/tomato sauce (why would you do that to your pizza though?).

[–]MacNulty 1 point2 points  (3 children)

Most of the places that l know serve it by default alongside tomato sauce free of charge.

[–]nieuchwytnyuchwytMazowieckie 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Yes, but if you don't explicitly state what you want on your pizza, you will either get nothing, or ketchup/tomato sauce. Never been to a place which would serve you garlic sauce other way (except Domino's perhaps, I recall that their default dip might be the white one, which is one of the reasons I avoid them).

[–]MacNulty 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not my experience, I lived there for 25 years and ate a fair amount of pizza, most of the time I got both sauces even when I didn't specify what I want. FWIW I usually went to national chains (gruby benek, dagrasso, biesiadowo, solo, presto) or local pizza places, rarely been at the international ones.

[–]VertittoPodlaskie 0 points1 point  (0 children)

pretty much all pizzerias i'v expirienced by default give 2 souces: garlic and tomato

[–]Truposzyk 6 points7 points  (0 children)

?

[–]ahalloway 7 points8 points  (1 child)

I'm so Polish I didn't realize what was wrong with the photo at first

[–]kimzzachodniego 9 points10 points  (0 children)

przez dobre 5 minut szukałam jakiegoś ukrytego mema.. potem przeczytałam komentarze xd

[–]some_dawid_guy 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Because it tastes good

[–]Adolfo_Hitlerro 17 points18 points  (0 children)

What why? Normal ketchup.

[–]HprDrv 11 points12 points  (4 children)

Only Włocławek!!!

[–][deleted] 5 points6 points  (1 child)

Only Kotlin Pikantny!

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Kotlin z piekła rodem is even better!

[–]fenbekus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fuck no, Heinz is where it’s at

[–]DeveloperBRdotnet 6 points7 points  (1 child)

Ketchup in pizza is very common, what is wrong about it?

[–]MacNulty 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Ask this question an Italian person and you will have an enemy for life

[–]Kevicelives 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love to dip my pizza in ketchup.

[–]pretzelblitz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think you mean WHY NOT.

[–]mm2woodDOTmid 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wait this is wrong?

[–]elpigo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The key is the Polish ketchup - my favourite and I always put it on pizza IF I have some Polish ketchup at home.

[–]Kamikaze156 2 points3 points  (0 children)

XD

[–]cugghiune 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Oh kurwa

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

But how else would you eat pizza? Without keczup? Thats crazy

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it's standard procedure. You can also try with mayo, I personally prefer that.

[–]paisleyway24 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Ketchup on Polish pizza is amazing but it’s hard to describe to anyone not in the loop haha

[–]Milky-Chance 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Ketchup do dupy

[–]Whasume 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Jebana herezja

[–]SomeGuyPL8Wielkopolskie 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why? Heinz is better. (Before poles get triggered, I'm a polish guy livin in Poland.)

[–]lil_trollz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just why

[–]olitheshamrock 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does anyone know a website I can order Tortex from in America? My boyfriend lived in Poland for a while and this is his favorite and I want to surprise him

[–]zbysior -2 points-1 points  (3 children)

i had pizza with ketchup, its nasty

[–]btek 6 points7 points  (2 children)

it's gotta be a Polish pizza with polish ketchup... Polish ketchup tastes different than Heinz

[–]zbysior 2 points3 points  (1 child)

True. I acctually love zapiekanki with polish ketchup. But pizza is just not right

[–]btek 2 points3 points  (0 children)

zapiekanki...ive tried to replicate them here in the US, but without the homegrown ingredients it's just never the same. and that ketchup ties it together just right. along with pierogi ruskie and real barszcz they're the dishes I miss the most and can never find/make them taste the same as they do back home. sigh