This Bizarre Pizza Combination is Beloved by Illinois Residents

The website 247Tempo has assembled a list of strange food items found and commonly enjoyed in all 50 states. Don't think of these items as deep-fried Oreos or something quintessential to a county fair. These are truly strange foods, and some don't sound good for the faint of heart.

Last week, I wrote about Kumla, which 247Tempo named as the strangest food found in Iowa.  It's essentially the Norwegian version of a dumpling, with ham and potatoes that are a specialty of Story City, just north of Des Moines. Illinois strangest food is a bit easier to find, per se, but in my opinion, it doesn't sound much more appetizing.

While the term "strange" is of course subjective, 247Tempo was clear in their approach with this list. They wanted to find food/food items that aren't commonly found on restaurant menus and/or grocery stores, such as pig's intestines, duck tongues, and more. Of course, some of these items might indeed be a part of someone's daily meal planning. Again, it's all subjective and fun.

For Illinois, 247Tempo declared "spaghetti pizza" as the strangest offering in the entire state. Most of us love spaghetti. You'd be hardpressed to find someone who didn't love pizza. But merging the two together? I have my doubts. I don't think I'd be brave enough to try it.

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On paper, however, it makes sense. Spaghetti is often complemented by marinara sauce, which is obviously a major ingredient in pizza. According to 247Tempo, Angelo's Pizza, which has three locations West of Chicago, claims credit for the invention of spaghetti pizza. However, looking through a barrage of YouTube videos, there's more than one way to make this obscure variety of pizza.

Some people make the spaghetti pizza like a casserole dish. Others make it like a traditional pizza. There are multiple ways to make it, none of which look particularly appetizing to me, I must confess.

Per AllRecipes, if you're hankering for spaghetti pizza, here are the ingredients you'll need (plus roughly 90 minutes of spare time):

• cooking spray
• 1 (8 ounce) package spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 large egg, beaten
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• 4 ounces pepperoni sausage, sliced

Read more about Kumla, Iowa's strangest food, here. Or, find more strange foods across all 50 states on 247Tempo's website!