What is the Difference Between Stromboli & Calzone

You can either be team calzone or team Stromboli is the epic battle of Stromboli vs. calzone. But whatever you choose, one thing is for sure that you will never miss out on the flavor. Both calzone and Stromboli are delicious, wholesome, versatile, filling, and a perfect treat for every occasion.

Although they use more or less the same ingredients, they have a lot of differences in them. Here is everything you need to know about these two.

What is Stromboli?

The dish Stromboli has a prominent place in Italian and American cuisine. It was invented in the 1950s by an Italian-American. From there, this dish gained popularity day by day, and all love today.

In simple words, a Stromboli is a roll. It is cylindrical log in shape and is a turnover filled with several Italian cold cuts, vegetables, tomato sauce, and mozzarella. The dough for this roll is either pizza dough or Italian bread dough. Whatever you choose to do, Stromboli is rich with flavors and textures. These are wholesome and jam-packed with flavors in every single bite.

What is calzone?

Calzone is yet another delicious dish that is very prominent in Italian cuisine. That’s because it is very convenient to eat. If you visit Italy, you will find several street vendors selling calzone of different fillings.

In simple words, a calzone is a crescent-shaped sandwich or pizza. It is like a pocket of dough filled with ham, cheese, or even an egg. The best thing about a calzone is that you can fill it up with anything to make it a wholesome, delicious, and filling meal. The American version of calzone has pizza toppings inside, making it a perfect on-the-go meal.

Difference between Stromboli & Calzone

Many people confuse Stromboli with calzone. Although they might seem like the same things, have more or less the same ingredients, and the dough can be the same as well, they are pretty different. Despite having Italian origin, these two dishes have prominent differences. Here are a few points that will explain the potential difference between Stromboli & calzone:

The origin:

Let’s start from the start. The first prominent difference between the two is that of their origin. Although most people consider both Stromboli and calzone to be Italian, which is actually true, it’s the origin that is different.

Because calzone resembles pizza so much, its origin is 100% from Italy. In fact, from Naples, to be more precise. In comparison, Stromboli was originated in the American land, in Philadelphia, to be more precise. Because the person who invented it was heavily inspired by Italian cuisine, we can clearly see the flavors.

Shape:

The first thing you will notice when looking at the two dishes is their shape. The shape is the most significant difference between them. A Stromboli has a cylindrical shape like a log; a calzone is like a half pizza. You can also refer to it as a pizza pocket or half-crescent. A calzone has filling inside the pocket of dough, whereas the Stromboli has layers as it is a roll.

Size: A calzone is usually a single serving. Which makes it small in size. However, because a Stromboli is a long, big log of pizza, it is multiple serving. So, a Stromboli is larger as compared to a calzone.

The sealing technique:

If you pay attention to the shape, you will notice the difference in how Stromboli and calzone are sealed. In simple words, we can compare a calzone to a taco and a Stromboli to a burrito.

Because a calzone is like a taco, it is sealed or crimped around the crescent edges. In contrast, a Stromboli is a log, and it is rolled like a spiral; some extra dough is used to secure it. However, both these are coated with egg wash to ensure the seal stays in place.

Filling:

Although you can use vegetables and cured meats in both dishes, two main things set them apart. These are:

Cheese: A calzone uses ricotta cheese essentially. In contrast, a Stromboli uses a low moisture mozzarella cheese.
Sauce: A Stromboli uses tomato sauce as a thin layer. In comparison, the calzone doesn’t have tomato sauce in it

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