Pizza: image=Pizza Calzone.jpg A calzone (Italian "stocking" or "trouser" or "drooping sack" or "hanging fold") is an Italian turnover made from pizza dough and stuffed with cheese (usually mozzarella cheese and Ricotta, but some varieties contain Parmesan, Provolone, or a locally substituted cheese), ham or salami, vegetables, or a variety of other stuffings. It often contains an egg, the yolk of which should be runny. It is typically served with marinara sauce on the side for dipping, or topped with garlic and parsley infused olive oil. The dough is folded over, sealed on one edge, salted, then fried.

In Italian the word has three syllables, IPA2: kalˈtsone. Pronunciations of the word in English vary greatly, with British English speakers saying 1 or 2http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/20002294?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=calzone&first=1&max_to_show=10, and American English speakers saying any of 3, 4, 5, or 6.

Calzones are similar to stromboli, but traditionally the two are distinct dishes, as stromboli usually contains mozzarella cheese and is served with marinara sauce on the side. Moreover, stromboli is rolled to resemble a loaf, whereas a calzone is folded to resemble a semicircle.

Regional variations

Somewhat related is the Sicilian cuddiruni or cudduruni pizza. This is stuffed with onions (or sometimes other vegetables such as potatoes or broccoli), anchovies, olives, cheese and mortadella: the rolled pizza dough is folded in two over the stuffing and the edge is braided, prior to frying.

In Middletown, Connecticut, several restaurants offer scacciata, which is similar to a calzone, but is filled with either broccoli, spinach, potatoes and onions, and sometimes sausage. Scacciata were once regularly prepared in Sicilian immigrant homes in Middletown's North End.

Some calzone recipes include more ricotta than any other ingredient; however, proportions are largely based on the chef's taste, so a calzone's contents can vary substantially from chef to chef.

Not to be confused with canzone.

Calzones in Popular Culture

In America the food products Hot Pockets and Lean Pockets, distributed by Nestle, are referred to as: "Bread Stuffed Calzones" on the label.

On an episode of Seinfeld, Kramer is seen referring to a calzone as a "cal-A-zone". The clerk at the pizza shop corrects him. Calzoni are also introduced to George's boss, which later gets him into trouble.