Bringing Pizza Back Home? Yes or No?

You cannot bring 'fresh' food over the border... you will get fined at Pearson

/Well my first thought is that one of the reasons the pizza is so good is because its all about fresh.. and two day old pizza is not so fresh...lol

Do you mean to eat the pizza on the plane,, in which case I say why not.. it will be better than anything you get on the plane, but if you mean to take it all the way home to treat someone here with.. no, it wont be at its best by then and they will figure you exaggerated how good the pizza is when its all soggy.

You could probably eat it on the plane.

Shannon. no, I don't think you are correct.

You may not bring FRESH vegetables fruit or meat products.. but a slice of cooked pizza is just fine dear. Just don't get the meat.

People bring home cheese, cakes, cookies all the time.

PS One does not get fined if they declare an item, it will just be confiscated if illegal.. the fines are for liars and cheats.. not innocents who declare and allow inspection.

It is not even worth it bringing back cold pizza and reheating it.
It is not that good that the pizza where you live is really bad

Pizza is to be eaten hot and fresh. By the time you get on board, no way will it be "fresh food", though what Canadian Customs will classify it as I cannot say.
If you bring it as carry on, you will have to stuff it in the overhead lockers, and it will get squashed between other people's bags - yuck!
I am imagining someone walking through an airport, carrying a pizza box and trying to keep it horizontal as they step into the aircraft.

Just eat it there, and snooze on the plane back dreaming of all the good food you had.

Wow, thanks for all the quick replies! I was actually private messaged with a link to the Canadian Goverment website. It's this search module where you can use keywords (like "pizza") to see if it's permissible to bring.

Pizza with less than 2% meat looks like it's a go!!

For those questioning my integrity of eating such old soggy pizza...I just figure that after reheating it in a toaster oven, it will still be better than any of the stuff being sold in Toronto. We don't have roman style pizza here. My brother is also dying to try it and neither of us care if it's a day old, to be honest. :) We're foodies, but we're also not picky foodies.

Thank you SO much all!

Buon appetito!

Is there a shortage of flour, mozzarella and tomato in Canada?
I'm sure you can find find something better than a two day cold pizza at either Libretto or Terroni.

Personally, I wouldn't do it. Like the others have said, it's best hot and fresh, and aside from meat there could be some other ingredients in it that could go "off" if unrefrigerated too long.

http://www.stilltasty.com/questions/index/7/page:1

PS: My Dad was a health inspector for restaurants, among other businesses. He would have given the idea the thumb down.

Not to mention that the crust, like any other bread product that is made without preservatives, will start to go stale within a few hours of being baked.

My thought is...would this smell? It's kind of rude to bring aromatic food onto a flight and inflict it on everyone else.

Europe in general uses less preservatives than we are used to using in North America so it will probably not last as well as you think. Please don't bring it back in a box and just shove it in the overhead compartment as that has potential to get grease, sauce, etc on other traveler's belongings. At the very least make sure it is wrapped in some type of plastic or aluminum foil for travel.

A Neapolitan pizza is a wonderous thing but that is largely due fresh ingredients and being literally hot out of the oven. I've had pizza in the States that was damn near as good because it was made the same way: quality ingredients and hot out of a wood fired oven. Soggy warmed up pizza, no matter where it's from just plain sucks by comparison.

Keeping pizza out of refrigeration that long is just plain not safe, aside from all the other issues people have mentioned.

I like Chris' response ;-)

Just eat it there, and snooze on the plane back dreaming of all the good food you had.

Some foods are just meant to be eaten right away... like real Italian gelato, yum!

I think your fellow passengers might have an adverse reaction after a couple of hours....

In the unlikely event that one has leftover pizza, don't warm it up - just eat it cold out of the fridge. Breakfast of champions.

Hello all, thank you for your concern. Let me explain myself. I'm not an inconsiderate person. The place I'm going to gives boxes for the pizza which I will place in my thermal bag along with other groceries I may bring back that won't be safe in my luggage. The place came recommended by a friend and was advised the pizza won't be warmed so the smell won't be an issue since it will be cold. The flight home is 9hrs so it's not like it will be left in room temp for an entire day. What else...

Oh, from everyone I know that's been to Rome, I've been told it's better than any pizza in Toronto. Roman pizza (decent ones) aren't available here. Terroni and Libretto specializes in neopolitan pizza. I'm bringing back roman pizza with a thicker, crispier and more substantial crust.

So let's all relax and not pretend we haven't eaten day old pizza or leftovers from a couple days ago. :) It won't taste as good as fresh, but at least my brother can try it and I can reminisce.

I know that its not the same without the atmosphere, but there are four restaurants in Toronto certified by the The Association Verace Pizza NapoletanaPizza as meeting their standards. Its an organization ". . . officially established by the Italian government as a denomination of control (DOC), a designation that made AVPN a legal entity able to give special designation to pizzerias who meet strict requirements that respect the tradition of the art of Neapolitan pizza making. " The four in Toronto are: Pizza e Pazzi; Pizzeria Libretto Danforth; Pizzeria Libretto Ossington; Viva Napoli.

Cant attest to any of them, but I've been to two others so certified in other places, and they look pretty good to me. Anyone want to check out what might be in your city, check out the website.

I could be wrong, but Roman pizza doesn't quite have the same reputation as Napolitano, does it?

If you are talking about the pizza sold by weight in rectangular slices, I think a thermal container should hold it for a day. Most people probably thought of the round, extremely thin-crust pizza when responding to your original post.

I don't understand if the thermal bag is to keep it warm or keep it cold. I know that here at home there is a bakery that makes great pizza. They try to bring it cold to a local farmer's market, to sell by the piece for home consumption, and the local health dept has given them grief because they cannot keep it cold enough through the few hours of the market. For another farmer's market that is an hour away from the bakery, they do not even bother to try to take pizza for similar reasons of food safety.

So let's all relax and not pretend we haven't eaten day old pizza or
leftovers from a couple days ago. :)

Sure, I've eaten plenty of leftover refrigerated pizza, and eaten it cold. I just wouldn't eat it if it had sat at room temp for the better part of a day. Figure time to get to the airport, 3 hours at the airport before an international flight, 9 hours flight time plus whatever time it takes to get home? But the thermal bag may help if it keeps it cold enough for that long. And as Zoe said, I was picturing the thinner-crust variety.

I would eat a piece of pizza sitting out all day. Have done too. Bread and cheese and some veggies aren't likely to make you sick.

good lord, Toronto is a large multicultural city with a large Italian contingent (I live in Toronto so am speaking with first hand info)

The statement that you just can't get real "roman" style pizza is just not true. Venture out of your own neighbourhood and see what is truly available out there.
We have the original "little italy" on College Street, then the "newer" little Italy on St Clair and ummm, have you heard of Woodbridge?

To name a few "Roman" style pizza places:

http://www.crpizza.ca/ourstory.php in Woodbridge
http://sudforno.com (part of the Terroni company)
as previously mentioned, Lambretta (who btw specialize in Roman not Neapolitan): http://www.lambrettapizzeria.ca/

I could probably keep going, but I think you get the idea.

Pizza e Pazzi is owned by a young Roman guy. Not sure it's still in business however. Go check.

The flight home is 9hrs so it's not like it will be left in room temp for an entire day. Well, you don't want to buy the pizza at the airport, so it's an hour to the airport from the pizzeria, then at least 2 hours at the airport before the flight, then another hour or more before you get it home. So it's 13 hours minimum before it goes in the fridge. At least you live in Canada and have national health service.

Why am I still defending myself, when all I wanted to do was bring a slice of Italy home?

The thermal bag keeps things cold. I'm going to have an icepack with me and the airbnb i'll be staying at has a freezer. I've brought back Bordier BUTTER from Paris and it was still cool to touch when I returned. I think cold pizza will be fine.

ALSO, again...i'm talking about ROMAN pizza. Not neopolitan pizza which has a super thin, soft crust. It's more resilient.

Wendy_d - I've been to both SudForno and Lambretta. They're good, but I can only assume it's better in Rome? Have you been to Rome? Would you say what we have in Toronto wouldn't make you miss Roman pizza? I've never been to Italy before and I'm just excited to bring home some slices for my family and for myself when I go through Italy withdrawal.

Is this topic SO offensive to everyone that some of you are so ridiculously arrogant and rude about it?
I would expect this from pretentious forums like Chowhound (for foodies), but everyone has been so kind on this forum...until now. Wow...

You seem to be well equipped to bring food home with you and as you state have done so before. As long as your thermal bag doesn't leak if something inside were to spill, I say go for it.

People have a twisted idea of what is safe vs what will kill you food wise. This is because of the various health laws that say basically you will die if you eat something that is not kept either boiling hot or nearly frozen until the moment it is consumed. While I am not saying that everything is fine left at room temperature, there are several things that are.

A basic pizza has nothing in it that will go bad that quickly -- bread, cheese, and some tomato sauce. You buy a loaf of bread and it sits without refrigeration for days with no harm. Many cheeses are actually better when left out on the counter. Tomato sauce is fine as well. Even many cured meats are left hanging around in the butcher shop for weeks with no harm, so why would they go bad that quickly on a cooked pizza? There are some toppings that might not last over a day, but as long as the environment is clean the food should be good. Sure, the pizza will not be as good as it was if eaten immediately out of the oven but it most likely won't kill you.

When we were in Rome at an apartment overlooking the Campo de' Fiori market a couple weeks ago, I'd shop there every day, and I saw that one of the cheese stands was shrink-wrapping wedges for travel. Then I bought some spice blends and had those guys shrink-wrap them--worked perfectly. A tiny bit of aroma, but for 800 gm of spices, it wasn't too bad at all. And at customs in Chicago, the guy asked me what was in my duffel, I said 'spice blends'--he smiled and said go ahead.

But...at Roscioli bakery, the pizza slices to go--rectangular squares--were unbelievable and nothing like in the States. I had a burrata/pesto and then a sausage/broccoli that knocked my head off. I didn't do it, but the thought came to me about stowing a couple slices of non-meat pizza, shrink-wrapped, in my baggage.

From this discussion, I almost wish I'd have tried it!

Evelyn, you seem to be dwelling on a few negative comments and ignoring the more supportive ones.

Your question asked for yes or no responses in the title, by the way.

Evelyn, I don't think most of us meant to be rude at all. We were just concerned for your well-being. Also, some information has been revealed during the course of the discussion that would have been useful to have had at the get-go?

You are bringing a thermal container
You are going to use icepacks
Your accommodation has a freezer
You've successfully brought chilled food home from international trips before

So, the scenario has changed quite a bit given what we know now versus what was left out of your first few posts? :O)

I'm not quite sure why you assume that any pizza you purchase in Italy will be "the best in the world". I think you will find that, as you travel in Italy, what is offered as pizza will vary as widely as it does in the US (much like buying fish and chips in the UK). While you will generally find a good quality product made with fresh ingredients, it all doens't all rate as "to die for". Your challenge is going to be finding something that meets your expectations. But if you do and want to bring it back with you, don't let reponses here deter you (and make sure that what you do bring back meets all import restrictions).
This site has helped me plan several wonderful trips to Europe so I'll keep coming back to get advice. Do keep in mind that you are asking for advice from the "I carry the smallest suitcase possible and wash my undies in the sink" crowd, to the point of it being a mantra. They give outstanding tips on what to see, how to see it efficiently, how to move around, and where to stay. Carrying a pizza box or even just slices from Italy would be a complete anathema to most who post here.

Enjoy your Italian vacation and may you find pizza that is worthy of a transatlantic flight!

I truly appreciate the supportive comments I've received on this thread. I guess the process of defending myself took over my usual nature of giving thanks first. Sorry about that (I know, that's so Canadian of me).

I will take any and all criticism, but I felt more chastised than anything by a few people, which didn't settle well with me.

You're right. I shouldn't dwell on the negatives, I will be more transparent in future posts (so people will have all the information), and I'll even follow up with this post on my experience with bringing pizza back (incase some of you are considering it). If it turns out to be a horrible idea, I will definitely concede and let you all know about it. :)

That's the spirit!
Do let us know if 🍕✈️ turns out to be a 👍 or a 🤢!

Obviously try it first to see if it's worthy of being called "the best pizza in the world", then decide if it's worth hauling back. I've been to Rome and don't remember any kind of mind blowing pizza or any pizza that was truly memorable relative to what I can get even here in the US (I've had some mind blowing food in Toronto though!). People say all kinds of things, and sometimes it's just an exaggeration. I too would be very surprised that you could not find something as good in Toronto - and I agree, the key is that it's fresh.

Hey, I live downstate from Chicago, and happen think Chicago deep dish pizza is the "best in the world"! But I would never try to take it somewhere, even unbaked or cold - it's just not the same. Even what we bring home and refrigerate is not nearly as good as fresh and hot (in fact, we prefer to eat in our local favorite rather than to even pick it up to bring home, since the 15-min drive, even in a hot bag, affects it adversely). As for negative comments, all I see are people trying to advise about safety and quality - the very feedback/suggestions/warnings you asked for.

If this pizza on a plane thing catches on no doubt Ryan Air will start tacking on fee$. Probably by the by the slice, with more extra fee$ for any toppings.

There was an episode of MASH where they order 40 lbs. of ribs and a gallon of barbecue sauce from a place called Adam's Ribs in Chicago (not a real place) (Adam's Ribs, that is, not Chicago) (although...) and figure out how to get it shipped to Korea.

Compared to that, bringing home a pizza from Italy seems like a great idea!

They had to bribe a supply sergeant. You may need to give a slice to the security folks at FCO.

Sadly, they didn't get to enjoy the ribs. Just as they are about to eat, choppers land with wounded soldiers, and the doctors have to go on duty.

Better luck with the pizza!

Now that I think about it, we haven't had a mind-blowing pizza in Italy either, although Aurora in Capri was pretty good. Got it to go with a couple bottles of Moretti, and ate it in our sea-view hotel room by flashlight 'cause someone had blown the fuses. Probably one of my countrymen with a hair dryer. HA!

One of the best abroad was in Munich, of all places, and I'm pretty sure the owner was Greek.

I've had mind-blowing pizza several times in Italy (my go-tos are Cammafa and Libery in Turin) - but, to me, they are nothing 10 minutes later. It's all about that perfection combination of flour, water, cheese, a bit of tomato sauce, and sometimes some pork product(s) and the HEAT of that incredible wood-burning oven.

I have to admit, oftentimes I'm not even as interested in the second half of the pizza as I am in the first, when it's just arrived at the table. The "shelf-life" is short indeed.

Looking forward to trying Roscioli in Rome in early May!

Hey Ev, I was only responding to the statement that the pizza you want to bring back from Rome, (which even if it really is THE best thing you've ever tasted when it's fresh and hot, won't taste that way after being cooked, frozen, thawed and then heated up in a toaster oven), will be far better than anything you could ever get in Toronto

If you are talking about chain joints like Pizza Pizza, Dominoes etc then yeah even the blasphemous treatment of that poor Roman pizza probably might still be better than one of those places (just teasing you her) :)

But you do realize that Roman pizza is the thin crust one right? Neapolitan crust is "fluffier/airier". And then there is Al Taglia (cut into square/rectangular pieces) usually sold by weight and the crust is usually thicker than the round(ish) roman pizza

but if you really have your heart set on bringing a "slice of heaven" home with you, are ensuring that you aren't bringing any "forbidden" ingredients and have the details already worked out (insulated bag etc) then go for it girl. It's YOUR vacation! But do remember that the title of your thread did ask for Yes or No, so you were going to get responses/opinions from both camps :)

evelyn,

" I've been told it's better than any pizza in Toronto. Roman pizza (decent ones) aren't available here."

Toronto has a large Italian community, so I'm sure that excellent Pizza is available there, which would save the bother of bringing stale Pizza back from Rome and reheating it (that's never as good as fresh Pizza, IMO). In addition to Little Italy in Toronto, you could try places out towards Vaughan.

There's no way I'd ever bring Pizza back from Italy, as my local Italian Deli makes better Pizza than any that I've ever had in Italy. Their Pizza crusts are homemade and they use genuine Italian Mozzarella, Tomato sauce, meats and other ingredients, which all have the official "DOC" stickers and "Product of Italy" on them. One of the best things about it, is that it's delivered from the Oven to my table in about 30 seconds. The Deli also has their own home made Gelato.

Oh my...much ado about nothing!

What's the worst that can happen? You bring it back take a bite & its gross and you throw it away. No harm, no foul. Or you eat it, fine too. Just pack it well enough so the whole plane can't smell it, please.

I think you mean so the whole plane can't smell it, right?

Correct Nancy.

Hmmm...what an interesting thread! I just wonder, like many people, how good it will be after traveling halfway around the world. I'll be interested to hear your follow up! What month are you traveling?

I also thought about a gift someone sent me a couple of years ago. They knew I loved Lou Malnati's deep dish pizza in Chicago, so they ordered it to be shipped, as the restaurant is equipped to do. It arrived unbaked, frozen and packed in dry ice. I baked it and shared with my family. Even under those ideal circumstances, it was only about half as good as fresh and hot in the actual Chicago restaurant. I'm quite curious to see how a pizza from Rome holds up and how good it is after it gets some frequent flyer miles on it.

I was just talking to one of my coworkers this past week who went to Italy last fall.

She said a wine shop she visited shipped wine for her back to the U.S. I asked her if there were any issues with this since I recall a pineapple-based winery in Maui not being able to ship wine to certain states when I was in Maui for my honeymoon in 2014. My coworker said the box of wine showed up to her house, and all was fine. She said the laws must permit wine to be shipped internationally, or the shop knew how to get around laws.

My long story brings me to this suggestion: instead of pizza that's two days old (which I find disgusting, LOL,) why not find a packaged, nonperishable item in Italy that you like and either take it with you if you have room or have it shipped to you back home? Wines, pesto sauces, etc.?

PS: This has been more than 10 years ago, but my father flew from Frankfurt to Newark with bottles of Radeberger beer in his suitcase. There were no problems with him doing that.

PLEASE be sure to follow up on this thread with your results! We all want to know:

1) Did you find that Roman pizza was as you expected?
2) How did pizza in Rome compare to the pizza you've had in Toronto?
3) Did you end up bringing any pizza home, and if you did, how did it work out?

Inquiring minds are dying to know!