If you are a pizza purist, I suggest you stop now, close your browser, and walk away. If you don’t, what you read next may scar you for life, and I don't want that trauma on my conscious. For those of us who are more adventurous eaters, come along with me on a crazy culinary journey.
If you are like me, you may have in the past seen announcements for wacky new flavors from big name fast food companies. I’m talking wasabi Oreos in China, edamame or baked potato Kit Kats in Japan, and Korean BBQ Lays. Most of the time these are in Asian countries, and so I have to drool (or gag) from afar. But last weekend, I got my chance to get in on the action.
For the month of November, Dominos in Taiwan announced the sale of Boba Pizza (If there is any country up to the task, it is Taiwan; the actual birthplace of boba and bubble tea). As a bubble tea addict, mostly due to the boba pearls at the bottom of the cup, this announcement blew my mind. Two of my favorite things coming together into one potentially glorious creation? It had to be a dream. I saw the news on Friday night and had plans to get some the following evening.
Now my friends were skeptical. Rightly so, seeing as pizza is savory and boba is sweet and chewy. But after reading the description, I was hopeful that this treat would be reminiscent of a dessert I had found and devoured in China. Unsure of its actual name, I call it Honey Toast. It had thick toast slices spread with a creamy cheese of some kind, with honey slathered over the top and grilled to perfection. I crossed my fingers that the pizza would be the same.
The day of, we found our Dominos, ordered, and sat in eager anticipation, speculating on what would soon be placed in front of us. When it finally arrived, in a to-go box, the visual effects were a little lack luster. Still, we ogled and snapped pictures before getting down to business.
The first bite was a war of your brain and tastebuds trying to reconcile the puzzle of eating sweet pizza. But it only got better from there. With the thick doughy crust of pizza, a sweet cream cheese base with boba and mozzarella layered over the top, finished off with a generous layer of honey, each bite solidified my decision. I could have eaten the whole pizza. I could eat boba pizza every day for the rest of November.
I had worried that the boba would be too chewy for the softness of the pizza, but they had baked down well and merely offered small moments of varying texture and a burst of sweetness.The mozzarella, which I had worried would be a heavy reminder of its savory origin, blended seamlessly into the background, a perfect backdrop for the boba. And the honey was the proverbial cherry on top, giving the perfect kick of sweetness at the end. For someone with a sweet tooth as big as mine, it was perfection.
Overall, I was excited by the opportunity to indulge in a crazy new flavor trend. But I was overjoyed that it ended up tasting delicious. If you are in Taiwan during the month of November, I recommend trying it out. A whole pizza was 199NT ($6.50 USD), well worth it for both the novelty and the sweet treat. If you aren't lucky enough to be in Asia, then have some Mexican food for me and we'll call it even.