TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In an attempt to build on the success of last year's pearl milk tea pizza craze, Pizza Hut Taiwan on Tuesday (June 30) launched what it describes as the "world's first ramen pizza."
Following the launch of durian, stinky tofu, and pearl milk tea pizzas last year, Pizza Hut's latest creation is a ramen-flavored pizza, complete with noodles, Japanese barbecue pork slices, and a half-boiled egg. For its latest concoction, Pizza Hut has collaborated with popular Tokyo ramen eatery Menya Musashi (麵屋武藏).
Specifically, the pizza's take on the Japanese noodle dish is based on Tonkotsu ramen, which originated in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture on Japan's Kyushu island. The fusion dish also includes white sesame, fresh chili, and pork "bone broth" sauce, with spring onions and bamboo shoots on the side for a total of NT$459 (US$16).
Ramen pizza. (Pizza Hut photo)
On its official website, Pizza Hut claims that it is the first ramen pizza in the world. Lily Chou, the marketing director of Pizza Hut, told CNN that the dish is designed to cater to Taiwan's love of Japanese culture and follows a sweet matcha green tea pizza that came out in March of this year.
On its Facebook page on June 23, Menya Musashi issued a mock apology in which it wrote that previously Japanese offended Taiwanese by combining pearl milk tea with ramen, causing "bad blood" between Taiwan and Japan, which was a "mistake." The noodle house then boasted that this time around, it was teaming up with Pizza Hut Taiwan to "offend both Japan and Italy at the same time."
Another option on the menu is a set meal that includes a large ramen pizza, fried cod nuggets, green tea, and another large pizza of one's choice for NT$1,059. The limited-edition pizza will be available in Taiwan from June 30 to July 27.
Two pizza meal with cod nuggets and green tea. (Pizza Hut photo)
