KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian stall's creative take on "apam balik pizza" has gone viral after being hilariously reviewed by Italian TikTok creators Lionfield, renowned for their comedic reactions to unusual interpretations of Italian cuisine.
The original video showcased the preparation of apam balik, but with a twist. A fusion of Malaysia's beloved pancake and pizza, the apam balik featured shredded cheese, tomato sauce, and pepperoni.
The reaction video posted by Lionfield's Emiliano Santoro and Matteo Salvatori quickly garnered attention for their exaggerated disbelief.
"Why did you put the word pizza in the name?!" exclaimed Emiliano, visibly gobsmacked.
Matteo followed with an incredulous comment: "Now you are using pizza sauce… not on a pizza?"
The duo's comedic reaction culminated with Emiliano "quitting" the video in frustration, walking off-screen.
The video has since become a hit among Malaysians, who embraced the light-hearted criticism with humour and pride.
"Yay, apam balik pizza has appeared on Lionfield," commented TikTok user bajdskkdksks.
Another user, Rook Master, joked: "I knew they would find out!"
The clip, which garnered 124,000 likes, even found its way to the subreddit r/Malaysia, sparking further commentary.
One user, Daddy_hairy, poked fun at Malaysia's culinary experiments:
"Malaysians are abusing cheese and, as a country, we need to have our cheese privileges revoked."
Others joined in with playful remarks. "What's next? Nasi lemak pepperoni?" quipped lannisterloan.
Rubbing salt into the wound, loserguy-88 cheekily suggested: "It needs pineapple," referencing the controversial Hawaiian pizza.