Calzone vs. Stromboli

For those who did not grow up in an Italian household, you may not think there's a big difference between a calzone and a stromboli. Both involve pizza dough filled with some sort of meat and cheese, so they can't be that different, right? Although they can be confused by their similar ingredients, stromboli and calzones are very different in appearance and in taste. Though there are many variations now sold across the US, most often a stromboli is filled with a selection of Italian deli meats and cheeses (while calzones can be filled with just about any toppings found on top of a pizza).

Stromboli

Recipe for Stromboli

Stromboli is an Italian pinwheel sandwich filled with cold cuts, various vegetables, and marinara sauce. A stromboli is made with square-shaped pizza dough that can be topped with a selection of Italian deli meats and cheeses, and is then rolled into a log and baked. You can include any of your favorite Italian cured meats in the dish, although pepperoni, salami, soppressata, and ham are most commonly used. For your choice of cheeses, provolone, mozzarella, Fontina, or Asiago cheeses work well, though any semi-soft or soft cheese should be fine. Add a little basil or sun-dried tomato pesto, finely chopped olives, or fresh basil leaves for some extra flavor. A popular combination is mozzarella, sausage, pepperoni, onions, peppers, and mushrooms.

Sauce is usually served on the side. Since stromboli is all about the layers, there is precision that goes into how many ingredients go into each layer. The type of ingredients and where they are placed in the dough of the sandwich matter. Stromboli needs to taste as good as it looks!

Italian-American folks from Philadelphia invented the stromboli and named it after an Italian island called...Stromboli. There’s a giant volcano called Mount Stromboli on the island, which has been continuously erupting for the last 2,000 years. Stromboli is 'volcano-like' in that you can get burned by the juice and sauce coming out of the stuffed bread. Romano's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria claims to have originated the stromboli in 1950 in Essington, Tinicum Township, just outside Philadelphia. Others claim the Stromboli was invented by Mike Aquino, Sr., of Spokane, Wash., named after the 1954 movie Stromboli starring Ingrid Bergman.

Calzone

Recipe for Calzone

Originally from Italy, the calzone is basically a folded pizza, first made in Naples, Italy during the 18th century. Pizza dough is rolled thin into a pizza shape, filled with the same ingredients as pizza - almost always tomato pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese, usually ricotta (think of the cheee filling for lasagna), often pepperoni and maybe some other cheese and cured meats (salami, capicola and bresaola) - and then is folded into a half moon shape before baking. Other ingredients usually associated with pizza toppings are often used inside, and must be cooked and then added to the sauce and cheese before sealing up the dough. This allows the calzone to finish cooking so the dough will be golden brown when served.

Calzones are so easy to eat while walking or standing that sandwich-sized calzones are a popular item often sold by Italian street vendors or at lunch counters throughout Naples. They usually contain the same ingredients as pizza — mozzarella, ricotta, and tomato sauce as well as mushrooms, onions, and peppers. These ingredients are then folded over in a crescent moon shape and baked or fried. They come in many sizes, from small to huge, with an infinite variety of stuffings. According to Waverly Root, a former American journalist and author of Foods of Italy (1971), calzone, originally known as calzoni, translates to "pants legs." Pant legs refers to the idea that calzone is a form of pizza that a customer can get while walking around town and eat without utensils.

"I have tried both a Calzone and a Stromboli, the former in Manhattan and the latter in Pennsylvania. Unlike here in England where all the folded pizzas are called Calzone, the difference on the East Coast is that the Calzone is filled with white cheeses (usually mozzarella and ricotta) and the Stromboli is a savoury dish filled with meat, onions, mushrooms, optional chillies and served with a spicy tomato based sauce on the side. The best one I ever tasted had fresh garlic grated and olive oil drizzled on top - absolutely delicious, but don't expect anyone to converse with you afterwards!!"
- from a poster on a web site

"The difference between a Stromboli and a Calzone is the ingredients. The Calzone will have Prociutto or Cappacolla and Ricotta. The dough is very light but not too chewy. Usually, the Calzone will have the Sauce on the side. Sometimes the Calzone will be made with Spinach or Escarole inside as well. Stromboli on the other hand has a heavier dough and is bigger because it will have Sausage, Pepperoni, Mozzarella cheese, Onions, garlic, peppers, and sometimes olives and capers. Actually, the Calzone is the spicier of the two."
- from a poster on a web site