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Sure, there are plenty of strange food variations and combinations from around the world. However, many on the internet are saying that Altoona Style Pizza takes the cake - or should we say "takes the pie?" Don't know about Altoona Style Pizza? Read on to find out...

What’s Altoona Style Pizza?

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You might not believe it, but the state of Pennsylvania has created plenty of pizza varieties, including Old Forge Pizza and Ohio Valley Pizza. While not the most beloved types of pizza, they are very popular in their hometowns. However, there's one Pennsylvania-born type of pizza that's the odd one out: Altoona Style Pizza. In fact, it's so strange that it's recently gone viral!

Beware, this pizza is so strange that even some locals from Altoona found it hard to believe. A slide of Altoona Style Pizza features ingredients found on few other pizzas. First, unlike most other pizzas, it's square-cut instead of triangle-shaped slices. But it only gets stranger from there. There are only four toppings: tomato sauce, one slice of salami, one Bell Pepper ring, and one slice of American Cheese. That's it! Those who love it call it tangy, salty, sweet, and unique all at the same time. Others only have one word of it: "disgusting."

Those that love Altoona Style Pizza say detractors need to give it a shot before they judge. Meanwhile, despite the fact the pizza might have only gone viral in the past few months, it's anything but new...

The Origins

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While some Altoona residents might not know about their namesake pizza plenty love it. Steve Corklic, an Altoona native and owner of 29th Street Pizza Subs & More, has no problem serving Altoona Style Pizza by the slice! In fact, Corklic says his customers love the pie so much he and his team sometimes need to cook up to ten trays of the pizza a day! "If you know somebody in the pizza world that wants to try something different, then come try it," he said. "We do it the best."

Of course, not every Altoona native loves the pizza, many just see it as part of the local culture. "The pizza was kind of a local legend, renowned for its weirdness, and since we were pretty much always driving around, bored, we would sometimes stop there just to switch things up," said John Berry, a local businessman. "I don't remember liking the pizza very much, but since I remember eating it on multiple occasions, it couldn't have been that bad. The bell pepper ring was pretty weird though."

As for the dish's origin, food historians can trace it back to at least the '60s. Almost everyone agrees that The Altoona Hotel served the first slice of the strange pizza. However, who devised the dish is still unknown. Some say Italian immigrants created the pizza when they could not find the traditional meats and cheeses. Others say someone working at the Altoona Hotel borrowed the recipe from their grandmother. Sadly, as The Altoona Hotel burned down in 2013, we may never know for sure. Thankfully, Altoona Style Pizza did not go alongside it!

Sources: The Takeout, Pittsburgh City Paper