If You Like Pizza You Should Also Try These Tasty Dishes From Around The World

Pizza is one of those go-tos that fits almost every mood. A Friday night staple to Sunday afternoon leftovers — this Italian dish has long donned its crown as a crowd favorite. Despite it being a reliable classic, you may have grown tired of your vegetable lover's or pineapple and ham. It could be that you're after a new type of pizza entirely. It may be time to consider the many global variations of this comfort food instead.

The dishes we will consider range from the Pissaladière from France to the Lebanese Manakeesh — all the way to Turkey to uncover the Lahmacun, and finishing with a Oaxacan classic: the Tlayuda. As it turns out, there are more ways than one to enjoy tomatoes, onions, and dough in combination — it just may be that you swap a couple elements for something a little unusual. Some of which, like wood fired tomatoes or focaccia bread, would happen to put your pizza oven at home to good use. Next time you're looking for something pizza-adjacent, maybe opt for a corn tortilla in place of dough, or thinly sliced meats instead of ground beef. The options are endless when you consider the ways you'll be able to customize your own version of these global classics. Read on to learn about the details that set these dishes apart and the common ingredients that tie them back together. 

A French version of the classic Italian pizza, this dish contains similar ingredients — presented in a totally different way. What we would otherwise consider pizza dough, sauce, and cheese, operates more like a tart. Presenting a resemblance to pizza, you'll also find caramelized onions, tomatoes, and anchovies sitting atop focaccia dough. This French variation on what may otherwise be a tired affinity for classic pepperoni pizza may become rejuvenated with this new-to-you version.

You'll find these toppings are often arranged in an intricate design — emulating that of a series of repeating geometric shapes. Traditionally, olives are often situated within the center. Though if you're making this at home and you want to emulate that classic pizza look, a more fluid scattering of these components may better suit your vision. You may be wondering where this dish gets its name — it comes from the translation of anchovy paste, called "pissalat."

This Lebanese dish is understood to be a breakfast classic, its popularity akin to that of American eggs and bacon. Instead, this dish is enjoyed for its flatbread base that is topped with a variety of add-ons, most often cheese — which is where we reveal its similarity to pizza. It often contains a blend of za'atar spices and a combination of cooked onions and tomatoes, incorporated in a way that emulates this Italian classic. These dishes are typically served for each individual, sized to be eaten personally, as opposed to cut into pieces to share. For those who don't know, za'atar is a culturally palpable conjoining of spices including Lebanese oregano, among other herbs, along with sumac and toasted sesame seeds. Another popular pizza topping, olives, is a common addition to this Lebanese dish.

This Turkish next-door neighbor to pizza is served up crispy and filled to the brim with extra toppings that pack a flavorful and textural punch. It's often made with ground meat, paired with ingredients like tomatoes, peppers, fresh herbs, and spices. This dish is prepared as a type of flatbread as opposed to a traditional pizza dough and can be served in both a personal and larger cut apart varieties, often plated alongside other Turkish classic sides like tabouli, roasted vegetables, and feta.

This Mexican dish is usually served up as a street food classic — originating out of Oaxaca. Its name originates from the fact that they are served as a large tortilla, or tlayuda. The meal is often on the smaller side — instead of a medium or large pizza for sharing, this classic is served up about the size of your solo plate and comes on a corn tortilla. The base is cooked until it arrives at a crispy texture which is then finished off with Mexican cuisine staples, like refried beans. It will also often contain ingredients found on pizza like cheese and razor sliced meats, and is rounded off with lettuce, slaw, and other components. This meal is designed to be eaten as is, similar to a slice of pizza — it is not uncommon that it would be folded in half in order to keep the toppings in one place as you ready your first bite.