In English, pepperoni refers to a spicy Italian-American variety of dry salami made of pork and beef. Pepperoni is a descendant of the spicy salamis of Italy, such as salsiccia Napoletana piccante, a spicy dry pork sausage from Naples. Pepperoni is frequently used as a pizza topping in American-style pizzerias. It is the most popular pizza topping in North America, present on at least 30% of all pizzas.

Pepperoni is a corruption of peperoni, the Italian plural of peperone. As an English word, it is used as a singular non-count noun. In Italian, peperone refers to the fruit of the capsicum. Ordering "peperoni" pizza in Italy is often an unwelcome surprise for North American tourists.

Throughout continental Europe, peperoni is the common word for the bell pepper.

It is also a popular flavor of potato chips.