Can You Top This?

October is National Pizza Month. Americans eat 100 acres of pizza every day. Pizza is a $30 billion industry in the United States, with 61,269 parlors across the country selling a total of three billion pizzas a year and the average person eating 23 pounds annually. (All of these stats come courtesy of thinkquest.org.)

To celebrate, we're dedicating this story to the most unique toppings to be found in local pizza parlors: we're going way deeper than pepperoni (which, incidentally, Americans consume 251,770,000 pounds of every year).

South Avenue Pizza Company
Anyone who has seen the buffet of unusual pizzas at South Avenue Pizza Company has probably had their mind boggled by the topping possibilities. Owner Courtney Hayes says their most unusual toppings include every olive imaginable, caramelized onions, pears and fried chicken. The most unusual requests they've had are spaghetti with meatballs and jalapenos with pineapple. 307 South Ave., 417-831-5551

Arris' Pizza
Kitchen Manager Brian Keppy says the most unusual pizza topping found at Arris' is walnuts. The most unusual customer requests Keppy recalls are tuna and anchovies. Coincidentally, anchovies are the least popular pizza topping among Americans. 1332 E. Republic Rd., 417-881-7260

Bruno's Il Ristorante
Although Bruno's is not exclusively a pizza parlor, it serves up some tasty pies nonetheless. Chef Anthony Kurpjuweit says Bruno's most outlandish pizza toppings are eggplant and arugula, which is a leafy vegetable. The most unusual request they've had for a pizza is shrimp, which they will cook upon request, as well as salmon. 416 South Ave., 417-866-0007

Wannagetta Pizza
The most unusual toppings at the south side's Wannagetta Pizza are on the Tropical Punch Pizza, says owner Susan Gann. The pizza is made with ham, pineapple, mandarin oranges, breakfast bacon and jalapeños. The most unusual request they've had? Canadian bacon, sauerkraut and brown mustard. 3302 S. National Ave. Suite F, 417-885-0001

Cheezie's Pizza
College students are known to have some strange cravings late at night. The most unusual topping at MSU neighbor Cheezie's is chicken ranch, and the most unusual pizza Head Manager Elizabeth Zleigh remembers making is pineapple with black olives. 603 S. Kimbrough Ave,. 417-831-7070

Marco's Pizzeria
Marco's owner Mark Williams says Marco's most unusual combination of toppings, gyro, is borrowed from the restaurant's sandwiches. The gyro is made of 80 percent beef and 20 percent lamb. The most unusual request they've had is anchovies. 301 Park Central West., 417-866-4477