History
Like their Italian cousin pizza, calzoni (plural of calzone) originated in Naples, Italy during the 18th century. Translated to "pant leg" or "trouser," the calzone's original purpose was to serve as a "walk around pizza." This Italian style turnover is created by folding a full size pizza in half. When correctly prepared, the calzone's outer crust is baked to crispy perfection while the inside filling contains a warm, gooey blend of ricotta and mozzarella cheeses along side an assortment of hearty meats and vegetables. The pizza dough like crust of calzones, traditionally make with yeast, olive oil, water, flour, and salt, makes them wonderfully portable. Calzoni, not to be confused with a similar Italian filled oven bread, panzzarotti, are always baked while their Italian cousin are similarly prepared, but deep fried. The original calzoni of Naples, were most likely much smaller than the modern calzones seen in American restaurants today, because the pizzas created in 18th century Italy were for a single person to enjoy. It is customary in America to top calzones with a blend of garlic, olive oil, and parsley and to serve alongside marinara sauce for dipping. Modern calzones grew widely popular after their appearance in the popular TV series "Seinfeld" in 1996 and, more recently, in the hit series "Parks and Recreation" in 2014.