Amid the messy cheesesteaks and crispy, saucy pizzas of South Jersey remains a lesser-known delicacy with a cult following. One that’s fried, stuffed with cheese and sauce, and best enjoyed alongside an ice-cold root beer. Hundreds of thousands of panzarottis are eaten each year—yet, half of the state doesn’t even know they exist.
The Panzarotti: Pizza Pockets With a Cult Following
The panzarotti as we know it here in Jersey is a handheld, deep-fried pocket of pizza dough, filled with mozzarella cheese and zesty tomato sauce. Toppings are optional, and various specialty versions like cheesesteak and the gobbler—a seasonal favorite, filled with roast turkey, stuffing, gravy, and cranberry—exist today.
