Kebab pizza

Kebab pizza, known in Swedish as *kebabpizza*, is a Swedish take on pizza that features kebab meat along with other toppings, which can differ from one pizzeria to the next. It was invented by Middle Eastern immigrants during the 1980s. Over time, it has grown into one of Sweden’s most beloved pizzas and a widely popular fast food item, earning a notable place in Swedish culture and across Scandinavia.

The dish came about in Sweden, blending elements of Italian and Turkish cuisine. The country’s first pizzeria opened in Västerås in 1947, after 300 Italian guest workers arrived. More pizzerias appeared in the 1960s, and pizza eventually became Sweden’s most common fast food. After the initial wave of Italian immigrants, few Italians came to Sweden specifically to make pizza. Today, pizzerias are mostly run by immigrants from the Middle East and the Balkans, who turned to pizza-making as a first business after struggling to find work in their trained fields. In the 1980s, kebab and falafel restaurants started appearing across Sweden, and in many smaller towns, it was typical for restaurants to offer both pizza and kebab. The kebab pizza emerged sometime during this period, though no one knows exactly who created it or when.

According to the Swedish food company Schysst käk, the kebab pizza can be traced back to 1982. Unlike many influential dishes, no pizzeria in Sweden has claimed to be its birthplace. The earliest known record in the menu collections of the National Library of Sweden is from 1986, at Pizza Dali in Bromma, which sold a “shish kebab-pizza” with tomatoes, cheese, onions, bell peppers, and beef tenderloin. The next record is from 1988 at Pizzeria Amigo in Eksjö, where the pizza had cheese, tomatoes, kebab meat, onions, champignons, friggitelli, and Béarnaise sauce.

Kebab pizzas vary widely between restaurants. They are usually topped with kebab meat, onions, friggitelli, and a sauce. The meat is typically beef but can be chicken. The sauce, called *kebabsås* in Sweden, is often a mix of yogurt or sour cream with spices. The biggest difference between pizzas is whether common kebab sides like french fries and lettuce are added. Some pizzerias offer a “Viking kebab pizza,” folded to look like a Viking ship.