'Chewy, Savory Texture'... Hong Kong Pizza Hut Launches 'Baemgogi Pizza'

Hong Kong and Southern China Winter Health Food 'Snake Soup' as Pizza
Pizza Hut Falls for Unique Pizzas with Bibim Noodles, Coriander, Durian...

American pizza chain Pizza Hut has introduced a new menu item in Hong Kong featuring pizza topped with snake meat.

Pizza Hut Hong Kong New Menu.
[Photo by Pizza Hut Website]

According to major foreign media reports on the 8th, Pizza Hut Hong Kong launched a new pizza topped with finely chopped snake meat, wood ear mushrooms, traditional Chinese dried ham, and brushed with abalone sauce.

The pizza toppings are the same ingredients used in snake soup, a traditional dish enjoyed as a winter health tonic in Hong Kong and southern China.

Pizza Hut Hong Kong stated that they collaborated with 'Seowongfen' (蛇王芬), a snake meat specialty store that has been in operation for 128 years, to develop this menu.

Karen Chan, General Manager of Pizza Hut Hong Kong and Macau, said that the new menu incorporates some of Seowongfen's secret recipes, using a mix of Chinese rat snake, banded krait, and white-banded snake meat.

She added, "This special snake pizza will deliver both umami and flavor this season, providing a perfect balance of all tastes."

Previously, some gourmets in Hong Kong and southern China have long enjoyed snake meat as a winter health food.

In particular, there is a belief that eating soup made with snakes in autumn and winter, when snakes start to fatten up in preparation for hibernation, improves skin and warms the body.

Among Cantonese dialects, there is even a saying that "the best time to eat snake is when the autumn wind begins to blow."

A foreign journalist who tasted the new menu described the texture of the snake meat as "similar to dried chicken." They also added that the savory taste of the snake meat pairs well with the chewy dough.

Pizza Hut Showcases Unique Pizzas... Also Sold 'Bibim-myeon Pizza' in Korea

'Palbulchul Pizza' introduced by Pizza Hut in 2022.
[Photo by Pizza Hut]

Previously, in 2022, Pizza Hut collaborated with Paldo, the market leader in bibim-myeon in Korea, to introduce the 'Palbulchul Pizza'.

The Palbulchul Pizza was characterized by a spicy-sweet flavor combining bulgogi toppings and bibim sauce. Along with the new menu launch, Pizza Hut also released four honey combination set menus: ▲ Cheese Ball Palbulchul ▲ Pasta Palbulchul ▲ Real Palbulchul ▲ Palbulchul Is Lonely.

Pizza Hut Japan targeted Generation Z with a 'Cilantro Pizza' named "Too Much Cilantro, Too Much Grass (パクチ?すぎて草)." According to Pizza Hut, each slice is generously topped with at least three sprigs of cilantro, with shrimp toppings based on tomato sauce and seasoned sauce underneath.

Besides these examples, the global Pizza Hut chain has introduced various unique pizzas. Pizza Hut Taiwan even released a durian pizza, which received harsh criticism as "a food that should not exist in the world."

Experts say that Pizza Hut Hong Kong's new menu appears to be a marketing tactic aimed at generating buzz online.