New York style? Deep-dish? Detroit? Naples?
There are countless recipes and endless debates. And only one correct answer – or at least some think so.
Before we argue over who is right, let’s take a bite into the origin of pizza.
Pizza is known to have come from the city of Naples, Italy. With the initial intent of creating affordable food that could be consumed rather quickly, a dish made of flatbread with various toppings was invented. This was the first of the now world-wide popular dish: pizza. However, the dish wasn’t as popular until it reached America through Italian Immigrants in the 1940s. As Neopolitan immigrants recreated their home flavors abroad, this once “ethnic” dish soon rose in popularity. Especially after WWII, pizza began to take its place as a staple menu for many Americans. With its changes, this recreated dish made its way back to Naples and the world.
Currently, the dish exhibits various alterations according to where it was recreated. Below is a list of a few of the popular forms of pizza.
Chicago Deep-Dish
As its name indicates, Chicago-style pizza is more like a pie, with its deep dish of layered ingredients. In fact, some might argue that it can’t be considered a pizza. The toppings are placed in “inverted order,” with the sauce on top, meat and vegetable toppings in the middle, and cheese at the bottom. With such volume and shape, Chicago-style pizza takes a while to cook, and waiting is a must when the pizza is ordered.
New York-Style
New York-style pizzas are known for being large with thin crusts that make them perfect for being eaten folded. It’s all about the fold, so you might want to avoid those extra utensils or other methods when eating pizza in New York. It traditionally consists of just tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella, and is usually sold by the slices for customers to grab and go quickly. New York-style pizza has numerous fans, with five pizzerias in New York making it to the Robb Report on The 100 Best Pizzerias in the World (and one of them being ranked second place!).
Detroit
Another city relatively near to us is Detroit. Detroit Pizza is known for its famous rectangular shapes.
Being very consistent with the city’s nickname, Motor City, Detroit Pizza is known for its famous rectangular shapes from steel pans modeled by the pans used in assembly lines from nearby automobile plants. Though not as well known as the previous two cities, Detroit-style pizza has started increasing in popularity after winning “World’s Best Pizza” at the 2012 Pizza Expo.
Naples
Coming back to the birthplace of pizza, Naples-style or Neapolitan pizza is known for being simple and fresh. There are no additional ingredients besides the classic “dough, raw tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and olive oil.” They are served whole (no slices cut) and relatively small, allowing one pizza per individual. It is also known for cooking quickly at high temperatures, allowing for a fast, warm dish. Some say the red of the tomato, green of the basil, and white of the cheese represent the colors of the Italian flag. According to the Robb Report, Naples is home to the best pizzeria in the world.
What do you think, and what is your opinion on the best pizza?
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.