China’s Pizza Hut franchise is serving customers deep-fried frogs on top of their pies.
David Henke, a global food trendwatcher and industry consultant, posted on X/Twitter, unveiling a picture of the specialized pizza that’s supposedly being offered for a limited time.
Alongside an advertisement for the creation, Henke wrote: “Per@Technomic Global Navigator, in proof that other countries/cultures prefer different types of proteins, Pizza Hut is offering a pizza topped with a frog for a limited time offer in China - and frog is trending.”
The thick-crust pizza features a red sauce base under a bed of parsley with a whole fried bullfrog on top. Two halves of hard-boiled egg with black olives appear as the “eyes” of the frog.
It is unclear how long Chinese Pizza Hut will be offering the protein-packed pizza and the company does not specify on their website either.
According to Korean news outlet Maeil Business Newspaper, the pizza has been launched in collaboration with Dungeons and Dragons and is named “Goblin Pizza” after one of the popular game’s characters.
On Reddit, a customer shared a photo of the pizza in real life.
Per @Technomic Global Navigator, in proof that other countries/cultures prefer different types of proteins, Pizza Hut is offering a pizza topped with a frog for a limited time offer in China - and frog is trending.#restaurant #menutrends #menu #global https://t.co/PYgPfQhSvp pic.twitter.com/YvhG9eEYrg
— David Henkes (@davidhenkes) November 20, 2024
“This pizza is a felony,” one person commented on the post, while another asked: “Why ruin a pizza like that?”
A third more sympathetic person added: “I would not be mad if the pizza underneath the frog was passable.” Another joked: “You can ribbet this right into the garbage.”
One intrigued foodie suggested: “Yo fried frog legs are so good, maybe shred the frog leg meat next time and add it to the pizza that would be pretty good.”
“I’m more upset about the olives,” another person said.
Pizza Hut isn’t the only fast-food chain in Asia that’s put controversial pairings on its menu.
In 2020, McDonald’s locations in China added a sandwich made with two slices of Spam and an Oreo crumb topping mixed with its famous burger sauce.
And in 2022, Domino’s Pizza Japan introduced Crispy Fish and Chipa Pizza that came with fried fish and potato slices, basil, tartar and tomato sauces and lemon slices.