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National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day

Food · November 12

A food day for the fully loaded pizza, piled with nearly every topping in the kitchen, with one salty little fish politely left off.

National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day falls on Thursday, November 12, 2026. That is 16 days away.

Pizza with the works means a pie carrying just about every topping on offer. Pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions, green peppers and black olives are the usual crowd, all sitting on tomato sauce and melted mozzarella. This day asks for all of it, minus anchovies.

Anchovies are small, oily fish, usually cured in salt and packed in oil. They taste intensely salty and savory, and they divide people more than almost any other topping. Leaving them off is a common request at pizza counters, which may be why the exception made it into the name.

A loaded pizza is a different thing to eat than a plain slice. The toppings crowd each other, so every bite lands a little differently: a bit of sausage here, a soft mushroom there, a crunch of pepper. All that weight can make the middle soft, which is one reason some people prefer a sturdier crust for a pie like this.

Most people mark the day by ordering or baking one big pizza with everything and sharing it. At home, it helps to slice the vegetables thin and go easy on the sauce so the crust can cook through under the pile.

Anyone who secretly likes anchovies can still put a few on their own slice. The rest of the pie stays as named.

Ways to celebrate

• Bake a homemade pizza with every topping you have on hand.
• Slice vegetables thin so a loaded pizza cooks evenly.
• Share a fully loaded pie with friends and compare favorite toppings.
• Ask everyone at the table to name their one topping exception.

Dates

All national days on November 12

Also on November 12

• National French Dip Day
• National Happy Hour Day
• American Fancy Rat & Mouse Day

Categories: Food days