A calzone, type of pizza originates from Italy. It is shaped like a semicircle, made of dough folded over and filled with ingredients common to pizza.
Calzone is a folded Italian pizza which, by the sheer nature of its shape, is far more portable than a normal pizza and looks a bit like a Cornish pasty. Although the flavorings can be the same as for pizza, Italians often fill their calzone with leftover veg from the night before, or with various things that need using up, mixed with lovely tomatoes and some melting mozzarella. Great served hot or cold.
The typical calzone is stuffed with tomato and mozzarella, and may include other ingredients usually associated with pizza toppings.
Sandwich-sized calzoni are often sold at Italian lunch counters or by street vendors because they are easy to eat while standing or walking. Sweet versions, usually smaller and cookie-sized, are a specialty in the Marche. Fried versions typically filled with tomato and mozzarella, are made in Puglia and are called Panzerotti.
Somewhat related is the Sicilian cuddiruni or cudduruni pizza. This is stuffed with onions (or sometimes other vegetables such as potatoes or broccoli), anchovies, olives, cheese, mortadella: the rolled pizza dough is folded in two over the stuffing and the edge is braided, prior to frying.
Calzone in the United States
In the United States, calzone are typically made from pizza dough and stuffed with cheese (usually mozzarella cheese, but some varieties contain Parmesan, Provolone or a locally substituted cheese), or ricotta, ham or salami, vegetables, or a variety of other stuffings. It is typically served covered with marinara sauce, or topped with garlic and parsley-infused olive oil. The dough is folded over and sealed on one edge or formed in an enclosed circular shape before being baked in an oven. In some areas of New York as well as in Parts of Italy Calzone are fried rather than baked.
Calzones are similar to stromboli, but traditionally the two are distinct dishes. A common misconception is that the ingredients are the primary difference between the two. The ingredients are actually at the discretion of the chef. Although most strombolis are rolled, strombolis have also been known to be prepared like a calzone, where the only difference is that a calzone has the sauce on the side, where the stromboli is served with sauce on the inside of the folded crust.