What Regional Pizza Type Is Your Favorite?
Whether you crave mounds of gooey cheese or the combination of pineapples and ham, pizza is almost universally loved by Americans. In October, Americans celebrate this much-loved comfort food and call it National Pizza Month. Of course, the ideal pizza is different depending on where you live in the United States.
For example, if you’re ordering pizza in Detroit and your cousin is picking up a pie in Chicago, the pizzas are going to look a lot different. These two cities are less than 400 miles apart, so it’s easy to see that pizza can be different depending on where you live. Here’s a look at some of America’s regional pizzas.
New York
In New York City, you can’t walk far without stumbling across a shop selling slices of New York-style pizza. The pieces generally come from an 18-inch, round pizza with a super-thin crust, rich sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings. It’s made in a gas oven, and the crust combines crispness with a little chewiness. Many people fold their slice of New York pizza in half and enjoy every single bite. If you’re in the city or visiting, learn to make this pie at the Pizza School NYC in a couple of hours.
Chicago
If you love crust, this is the pizza for you. It features two crusts with the cheese and toppings filling in the middle and the sauce on top of the highest crust. The crust has a light buttery flavor. Actually, the stuffed pizza is most associated with Chicago, but it’s one of three popular in the area. There is the stuffed pizza, the deep-dish pizza, and the tavern-style pizza. The tavern pizza features a thin, crisp crust and arrives at the table cut into squares. Visiting Chicago? Take a pizza tour.
Detroit
In the mid-1940s, car manufacturers called Detroit home, and the Detroit-style pizza was cooked on a steel auto parts pan. These thick-crust pizzas are baked in a rectangular shape. Typically, these pizzas feature pepperoni and brick cheese that extends over the edges of the crusts. The sauce goes on top of the toppings and cheese. The buttery crust features a caramelized texture that adds to the crispness.
California
This is one of the most recent regional pizzas to make a mouth-watering appearance. Made on a hand-tossed crust, the California-style pizza is known for its unique toppings and gourmet take on America’s comfort food. Cooked in a wood-fired oven, these pizzas are rule-breakers with barbecue sauce or buffalo sauce in place of the traditional red one. Toppings are also atypical. The barbecue chicken pizza started this craze.
Ohio Valley
These pizzas go in the oven with just the crust and sauce on them. After the pizza is done cooking, cheese and toppings are added. The heat from the sauce and crust melts some cheese, but it’s an interesting mix of hot and cold. The Ohio Valley pizza typically arrives in a square shape or a rectangle. The sauce is simple and primarily stewed tomatoes without the smoothness you find in other regions.
New England
This pizza finds its roots in Greece. The thick crust is dense and soft, but it isn’t a pan crust or deep-dish pizza. The sauce features a liberal amount of oregano, and it might be different from the sauces you’re used to. The cheese mixture includes both mozzarella and cheddar. Finally, this pizza uses plenty of olive oil from the crust to the toppings.
No matter what regional pizza type you’re serving up at your pizza joint, Alto-Hartley has all the supplies you need for success. From pans to cutters, we have you covered. Are you interested in opening up a pizza joint? Read all about the Four Pizza Supplies You Need In Your Pizza.
Contact us today to learn more.
