SA’s first cannabis pizza is here, and we can’t wait to smash one
Just when you thought pizza couldn’t possibly get better, this local restaurant chain took one of the world’s greatest culinary creations, and made it even more epic.
Cannabis pizza. It’s here, it’s legal, and it’s every bit as good as your wildest munchie cravings.
Col’Cacchio has just launched its new cannabis pizza range, and it’s on sale to the public as of today. The restaurant’s co-founder, Kinga Baranowska, said she’s always pushed the boundaries with her pizzas. Her latest innovation is a first for our country, and a massive step towards bringing cannabis into mainstream eateries.
“I’m doing it because it’s something new and fun,” she said. “I hope everyone comes and tries it.”
As product research, Kinga even committed to drinking a canna-coffee every day – just to feel the effects for herself before selling them to her customers.
So what’s the canna component?
Obviously, THC isn’t legal to sell in South Africa yet, so this is a CBD-drizzled pizza.
CBD is brand new to the commercial scene, as it was just legalised for sale by former Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi at the end of May this year. The law stipulates that each person can legally have a maximum daily dose of 20mg, so Col’Cacchio designed their pizzas to toe the line with this regulation.
Each pizza is cooked normally in the wood-fired oven, then garnished with 4 sprays of CBD oil before serving. This equals 20mgs of CBD per pizza – your max legal daily dose.
Col’Cacchio is using africanpure CBD oil, which is locally manufactured from cannabis imported from Switzerland and uses a coconut-based MCT oil as the base. Co-founder Mike Saunders said they pride themselves on a high quality, organic product.
“Our core focus is on purity of ingredients, traceability and being a responsible representative of the rapidly growing CBD industry,” he said.
Mike said he is excited to be part of bringing CBD into mainstream consumption in South Africa – and what better way to do it than through food.
“There’s this systemic notion of us all being high-strung and overwhelmed. One of the most immediate effects that CBD brings to us is a sense of calm and focus. It’s addresses a lot of stress-related illnesses and anxiety too.”
There are two CBD pizzas on the menu
The Green Goddess – R125
This vegetarian creation features grilled baby marrow slices, feta cheese and fresh basil leaves. It’s so green it almost feels like a health meal.
The Not-So-Plain Mary Jane – R140
This one’s for the meat eaters, and features sliced chicken, which Kinga says is the most popular meat on their menu. It also has roasted mushrooms, peppadews and an avocado dressing.
If neither of those appeal to your pizza preferences, it’s easy to customise – just pick any pizza off the menu and add CBD as an extra at R25.
But can you taste the green?
The discerning cannaseur will smell a subtle waft of CBD oil as you lift that steaming slice to your mouth – but as far as flavour goes, the CBD is pretty solidly buried beneath the other strong tastes in the pizzas.
Kinga, the genius behind these creations, said she was aiming for fresh toppings to complement the cannabis. “I wanted to go with natural flavours, so no processed meats like salami or ham, to go with the natural CBD oil.”
She says the CBD oil taste isn’t prominent at all.
“Together with the pizza, the spicy base and roasted mushrooms, it blends in quite well,” she said. “It’s quite neutral actually.”
The new cannabis pizza range will be available at all Col’Cacchio restaurants, excluding the Windhoek and Halaal restaurants.
Zootly says: We know you can’t really overdose on CBD, but if you want to stay within the legal limit, remember one pizza is your max dose for the day – so leave your mate’s leftovers alone!
