A folded Neapolitan pizza — the same leavened dough as pizza, sealed around a filling of ricotta, mozzarella, cured meats, and sometimes tomato sauce, then baked until puffed and charred.
What is a calzone
Calzone means “trouser leg” or “stocking” in Italian — a reference to the folded shape, which resembles a leg stuffed full. It is essentially a pizza dough stretched into a circle, filled on one half, then folded over and sealed before baking. The sealed pocket traps steam, giving the interior a moister texture than an open pizza.
Neapolitan tradition
In Naples, the classic calzone filling is ricotta, fior di latte mozzarella, salame Napoli, and a halved hard-boiled egg. Crucially in the Neapolitan tradition, the tomato sauce goes inside — not as a dipping sauce on the side, as in some Italian-American versions.
Calzone vs. stromboli
The most common confusion is with stromboli, an Italian-American creation: a rolled (not folded) sandwich with filling. Calzone is Neapolitan and half-moon shaped; stromboli is American and cylindrical. They are not the same thing.
Fritto vs. al forno
Naples also has a fried calzone (calzone fritto) — a smaller, crescent-shaped pocket filled with ricotta and salami and deep-fried until crispy. This is sold as street food at friggitorie (fry shops) and is arguably even older than the baked version.
Find more foods by letter
Calzone starts with C and ends with E. Browse other foods along the same letter.
Foods that contain a letter from "Calzone":