Credit: Novel Pizza Café | Leopardo

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Giardiniera lends a punchy counterpoint to trending profiles

The flavor-forward condiment brings a fiery finish to the sweet-savory profile of Filipino Longanisa Sausage + Giardiniera Pizza in this inventive tavern-style pie from Novel Pizza Café in Chicago. The sausage’s classic soy sauce and brown sugar notes are balanced by the bright heat and crunch of giardiniera, proving its versatility when paired with trending global profiles.

Meanwhile, at Leopardo in Los Angeles, executive chef Joshua Skenes takes a more deconstructed approach with the Hello Satan, a sweet-spicy pizza topped with salumi, chile-spiked tomato sauce, wildflower honey and a side of giardiniera for custom heat. Whether served on the pizza or on the side, giardiniera is clearly staking its claim in the modern pizza playbook.

Flavors on the Edge is an ongoing series that explores emerging ingredients poised to become high-impact flavor builders.

Flavors on the Edge: Giardiniera

About the Author

Katie Ayoub serves as managing editor of Flavor & The Menu and content strategist for the Flavor Experience, an annual conference geared toward chain operators. She is president of Katie Ayoub & Associates, serving up menu trends expertise, content creation and food & beverage consultancy. Based in Chicago, Katie has been working in foodservice publishing for more than 20 years and part of the Flavor team since 2006. katie.ayoub@gmail.com Read More Stories by Katie Ayoub