Aussies launch meat pie pizza

One small step for man. One giant leap for the meat pie.
You could almost hear the gasps of horror this week as the humble Aussie meat pie received its biggest makeover yet.
Pizza company Dominos proudly trumpeted their culinary triumph, launching it nationwide amid much fanfare and mailbox-drops. Wait for it. . . the Meat Pie Pizza.
They'd flirted with the idea with previous creations the Meatball Monster and the Meatosaurus. But nothing like this.
Dominos chief executive Don Meij unveiled the real thing – a pizza with a savoury mince topping with onions, tomatoes, peas, cheese, shortcrust pastry and, the crowning glory: a swirl of tomato sauce.
"The evolution of the humble Aussie meat pie has taken a monumental leap in history, with the union of Australia's two biggest pre-game footy food rivals – meat pie and pizza," Mr Meij said.
"The meat pie is sacred to all Australians. And now Aussie sports fans can watch the footy from the comfort of their own home and have a Dominos Meat Pie Pizza delivered straight to their door."
The company are claiming "an Australian first". No one has emerged to argue the point.
And it wasn't just a flash of inspiration from a bored teenager on a late night shift.
Dominos chief marketing officer Allan Collins said the new pizza was the result of three months of research and development as they looked for a distinctly Australian taste.
Mr Collins said Dominos had committed an estimated $A3 million ($NZ3.42 million) to the pizza launch.
"It's the next evolution of not only meat pie, but the pizza industry as a whole," he said.
At this stage it seems the taste sensation will be restricted to Australia. There was no word on any plans to expand the brainchild to the company's New Zealand stores

By MARK GEENTY - NZPA Thursday, 5 April 2007