Pizza Hut, in collaboration with a century-old Hong Kong restaurant, has introduced a unique and unconventional dish to its menu – a snake pizza. This new offering combines shredded snake meat, black mushrooms, and Chinese dried ham, creating an adventurous culinary experience. The pizza is part of Pizza Hut Hong Kong’s marketing strategy to generate online buzz and appeal to a more adventurous palate.
Snake stew has been enjoyed by some diners in Hong Kong and southern China for a long time, particularly during the colder months. According to a saying in the local Cantonese dialect, the best time to eat snake is “when the autumn wind begins to blow,” as snakes tend to fatten up in preparation for hibernation. Snake meat is believed by many to have medicinal properties, improving skin conditions and providing warmth to the body.
The rich culinary culture based on snakes is common across other parts of Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam and Thailand, where snakes are farmed for consumption. Pizza Hut Hong Kong emphasized the unique combination of snake meat with cheese and diced chicken, claiming that the “nourishing” meat can boost blood circulation, aligning with traditional Chinese medicine beliefs.
The collaboration between Pizza Hut and Ser Wong Fun, a snake restaurant in Central Hong Kong with roots dating back to 1895, resulted in a 9-inch pizza featuring abalone sauce instead of the conventional tomato base. The pizza was available for a limited time until November 22.
CNN sampled the snake pizza and found the texture of the snake meat similar to dry chicken. While some residents, like Mabel Sieh, expressed reservations about snakes as food, others, like Rachel Wong, who is a fan of snake soup, welcomed the new item on the menu, describing the texture as similar to chicken with a taste reminiscent of fish and other seafood.
Karen Chan, the general manager of Pizza Hut Hong Kong and Macao, highlighted the collaboration with Ser Wong Fun to prepare a mixed snake recipe using breeds of Chinese rat snakes, banded kraits, and white-banded snakes. She described the snake pizzas as offering a perfect balance of tantalizing and savory flavors for the season.
Pizza Hut Hong Kong plans to introduce other new menu items, including a pizza made with Chinese preserved sausages, a popular ingredient in local claypot rice dishes during cooler weather.
This culinary experiment is not the first time Pizza Hut franchises in Asia have adopted adventurous approaches to celebrate local food culture. In Taiwan, Pizza Hut introduced pizzas made with durian, pig blood curds, and preserved eggs, while Pizza Hut in Japan created a pizza topped with Tonkotsu ramen (pork bone soup ramen).
Other pizza chains, such as Domino’s in Taiwan, have also embraced unique local flavors, like putting boba (sweet tapioca balls found in bubble tea) on their pizza as a tribute to the popular dessert drink.
This snake pizza introduction reflects the trend of fast-food chains adapting their offerings to local tastes and cultural preferences, pushing the boundaries of conventional pizza toppings and catering to diverse culinary interests.