Unlike lay-flat pepperoni, cup & char (aka cup-and-char, cupping pepperoni, and Old World pepperoni), these slices curl during cooking, elevating any pepperoni pizza to new heights. Their crispy edges rise sky-high, trapping natural juices and delicious flavors released during cooking to form the ‘ronicups seen at some of the world’s most famous pizzerias.

Decades ago, most pepperoni was cup-and-char! The lay-flat style seen everywhere today only took over as producers turned to fibrous casings and ways to speed manufacturing.

While common on Instagram, this special pepperoni still isn’t widely available—often an ingredient wielded by pros. We turned to Buffalo, New York, a region that never gave up on the original recipe, to bring you this mouth-watering, old-school version, the best cup & char we could find.

This versatile topping has a balanced spice level that goes great on New York slices, Chicago Tavern-style pies, New York Sicilian squares, and Detroit-style pizza, but it really complements any style. Add to your favorite pizza base, bake and enjoy.

Give them a try in one of our selected recipes linked below or head to our ‘Recipes’ page for more inspiration.

Suggested Recipes

• Detroit-style Pizza
• Pineapple Express Pizza
• Diablo Pepperoni Pizza