We’re not sure how we missed the announcement of a Finnish pizza named for Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi. But we’re going with a better late than never policy on this one.
The story begins in March of 2008 at the New York Pizza Show when Finland’s Koti Pizza chain introduced “Pizza Berlusconi,” a prize winner at the show for its inventive and tasty toppings which include red onions, mushrooms, and an ingredient that Silvio Berlusconi might find hard to digest, smoked reindeer. The Finnish pizza edged Neapolitan pizza makers out of first place.
Advertised in Finland with the slogan, “Bite into Berlusconi,” the pizza plays on Berlusconi’s unpopularity in Finland and pokes fun at him for his xenophobic food preferences. Mr. Berlusconi, it seems, offended the entire country of Finland in 2005 when he publically dissed Finland’s national foods, especially reindeer, on the occasion of the inauguration of the new headquarters of the European Food Safety Authority.
At the inauguration, the Italian prime minister extolled the virtues of the Italian city of Parma, claiming it was a particularly apt location for the agency’s home thanks to its ham-making heritage. Not satisfied with touting his own national cuisine, Berlusconi then continued by saying that he thought Finland was less well qualified because Finns eat marinaded reindeer. Like so many of Berlusconi’s remarks, the claim provoke a diplomatic incident with repercussions that included an attempt on the part of many Finns to boycott Italian food products.
With the introduction of the Berlusconi Pizza in Finland this summer, the Koti Pizza company continued to poke fun at the Italian permier. They launched radio commercials, posters, and press ads with witty slogans: “A 97-year-old granny bit into a Berlusconi. Be like that sprightly old lady” and “A minister forked up a Berlusconi. You can, too, sensibly and responsibly”, concluding “Order now your Koti Berlusconi, judged the best pizza in the world”.
