Pizza in the United States explained

Pizza arrived in the United States in the early 20th century along with waves of Italian immigrants who settled primarily in the larger cities of the Northeast, such as New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Baltimore. After American soldiers stationed in Italy returned from World War II, pizza and pizzerias rapidly grew in popularity.^[1]

During the latter half of the 20th century, pizza became an iconic food with considerable acceptance in the United States. Numerous regional variations have evolved, with many bearing only a casual resemblance to the Italian original. Pizza is a popular fast food item produced by many small restaurants as well as several large pizza restaurant chains. The United States pizza restaurant industry was worth $37 billion in 2015.^{[2] [3]}

History

The first pizzeria in the U.S., Lombardi's,^[4] opened in New York City's Little Italy in 1905,^[5] producing a Neapolitan-style pizza. The word "pizza" was borrowed into English in the 1930s; before it became well known, pizza was generally called "tomato pie" by English speakers. Some regional pizza variations still use the name tomato pie.^{[6] [7]}

Distinct regional types developed in the 20th century, including Buffalo,^[8] California, Chicago, Detroit, Greek, New Haven, New York, and St. Louis styles.^[9] These regional variations include deep-dish, stuffed, pockets, turnovers, rolls, and pizza-on-a-stick, each with several combinations of sauce and toppings.

Thirteen percent of the United States population consumes pizza on any given day.^[10] Tens of thousands of pizzerias, food stands, chains such as Domino's, Pizza Hut, and Little Caesars, pies from take and bake shops, and chilled or frozen pizzas from supermarkets make pizza readily available both to diners and at-home consumers nationwide.

Ingredients

Common toppings for pizza in the United States include pepperoni, sausage, salami, ground beef, ham, bacon, olives, mushrooms, onions, peppers, anchovies, chicken, tomatoes, spinach, and pineapple.

American pizza (particularly thin-crust) is made with a very high-gluten flour (often 13–14% protein content) of the type also used to make bagels; this allows the dough to be stretched thinly and thrown vigorously without tearing. Unlike Italian pizza,^[11] American pizza often has vegetable oil or shortening mixed into the dough. This can range from a small amount in relatively lean doughs, such as New York–style, to a very large amount in some recipes for Chicago-style deep-dish dough.^[12]

While tomato sauce is virtually ubiquitous, variations such as white pizza omit it while others replace it with garlic and olive oil or sauces made from other vegetables such as pesto.

The most common cheese used on US pizzas is mozzarella. Other popular cheeses include:^[13]

• Parmesan

a hard aged cheese, available in a variety of moistures. U.S. pizzerias generally use generic parmesan, not PDO Parmigiano Reggiano. Parmesan is often pre-processed and sold in dehydrated, granular form. It generally has a sharp, pungent flavor.

• Provolone

second most popular cheese after mozzarella. Some U.S. pizzerias mix it with low-moisture mozzarella, while a handful use only provolone.

• Romano (generic)

a hard, aged cheese. The Italian pecorino romano is made from sheep milk; the commonly used U.S.-made imitations are made from cows' milk, with an enzyme added to simulate the sharper flavors of the original.

• Ricotta

ricotta is used on white pizzas, often covered with another cheese that melts better during baking and holds the ricotta in place.

Variations

• Altoona-style pizza is a distinct type of pizza created in the city of Altoona, Pennsylvania, by the Altoona Hotel. The definitive characteristics of Altoona-style pizza are a Sicilian-style pizza dough, tomato sauce, sliced green bell pepper, salami, topped with American cheese, and pizzas cut into squares instead of wedges.^[14]
• California-style pizza is distinguished by the use of non-traditional ingredients, especially varieties of fresh produce. Some typical California-style toppings include Thai-inspired chicken pizza with peanut sauce, bean sprouts, and shaved carrots, taco pizzas, and pizzas with chicken and barbecue sauce as toppings.^{[15] [16]}

• Chicago-style pizza is distinguished by a thick moist crust formed up the sides of a deep-dish pan and sauce as the last ingredient, added atop the cheese and toppings. Stuffed versions have two layers of crust with the sauce on top.^{[17] [18] [19]}
• Colorado-style pizza is distinguished by a thick braided, whole-wheat crust topped with a sweet tomato sauce and heavy toppings. It is traditionally served by the pound with a side of honey.^{[20] [21]}
• Columbus-style pizza has a circular shape, pieces cut into short or long rectangles, thin but crispy or bubbly crust, dense toppings that cover the surface, and, usually, provolone cheese and a slightly sweet sauce.^{[22] [23]}
• Dayton-style pizza has a thin, crisp, salty crust dusted on the bottom with cornmeal and topped with a thin layer of thick unsweetened sauce. Cheese and other topping ingredients are heavily distributed and spread edge-to-edge with no outer rim of crust, and the finished pizza is cut into bite-size squares.^{[24] [25] [26] [27]}

• Detroit-style pizza is a rectangular pan pizza with a thick crust that is crispy and chewy. It is traditionally topped with Wisconsin brick cheese that goes all the way to the edges and caramelizes against the high-sided heavyweight rectangular pan. This style of pizza was originally baked in rectangular steel trays designed for use as automotive drip pans or to hold small industrial parts in factories.^[28]
• Grandma pizza is a thin, square pizza, typically with cheese and tomatoes. It is reminiscent of pizzas baked at home by Italian housewives without a pizza oven, and was popularized on Long Island.^[29]
• Greek pizza is a variation popular in New England; its name comes from it being typical of the style of pizzerias owned by Greek immigrants. It has a thick, chewy crust and is baked in a pan in the pizza oven, instead of directly on the bricks. Plain olive oil is a common part of the topping, as well as being liberally used to grease the pans and crisp the crust. A significantly different variation in other parts of the country includes using feta cheese, Kalamata olives, and Greek herbs such as oregano.
• Maryland-style pizza is a rectangular pie with biscuity crust, sweet tomato sauce, smoked provolone.^{[30] [31]}
• Minneapolis-style pizza or Minnesota-style pizza^[32] is a circular thin-crust pizza, cut into squares, with spicy sauce, and hearty toppings. It is popular in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.^[33]
• New Haven–style pizza has a thin crust that varies between chewy and tender (depending on where it is made), baked in coal-fired brick ovens^[34] till charred, offset by the sweetness of tomatoes and other toppings. Also known as "apizza" (pronounced as "ah-beetz" in the local dialect), it has tomato sauce and only grated Romano cheese; mozzarella is considered a topping.^[35]

• New York–style pizza is a Neapolitan-style thin-crust pizza developed in New York City by immigrants from Naples, Italy, where pizza was created.^[36] It is traditionally hand-tossed, moderately topped with southern Italian-style marinara sauce, and liberally covered with mozzarella cheese. It is often sold in generously sized, thin, and flexible slices, typically folded in half to eat. This style of pizza tends to dominate the Northeastern states and is particularly popular in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Jumbo slices of a similar pie are particularly popular in Washington, D.C.^{[37] [38]}
• Ohio Valley–style pizza is pizza that was developed in Steubenville, Ohio, and has made its way up the Ohio River to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It uses a square pizza dough that rises thick but maintains a light consistency. The crust and bottom are crunchy. The sauce on this style of pizza is typically sweet and the pizza is baked without toppings. Immediately after being removed from the oven cold toppings are put on the hot pizza, including the cheese, in prodigious amounts. Most of the cheese melts, but not all. The other toppings used remain cold on top of the cheese.^[39]
• Pan pizza is a deep-dish styles like Chicago and Detroit are pan pizzas. A variation of moderate thickness was popularized by Pizza Hut.^[40]

• Quad City–style pizza is a pizza style developed in the Quad Cities metro area on the Illinois–Iowa border. It features a thin dough that incorporates seasoning that is heavy on malt, lending a toasted, nutty flavor. The smooth, thin sauce contains both red chili flakes and ground cayenne, and is more spicy than sweet. It is topped heavily with lean, fennel-flecked Italian sausage that is ground twice and spread in crumbles from edge to edge.
• Sheet pizza, also known as Roman pizza, is any thin-crust style baked on a baking sheet. It is typically rectangular (like the sheet) and served for events with a large number of people.^[41]
• Sicilian pizza in the United States is typically a square pie with a thick crust.^{[42] [43]} It is derived from sfinciuni, a thick-crust variety from Sicily, and was introduced in the US by early Sicilian immigrants. Sicilian-style pizza is popular in Italian-American enclaves in the Northeast, Metro Detroit, and Portland, Oregon.
• South Shore Bar pizza is distinguished by a thin crust, almost cracker-like, and is baked, or at least partly baked, in a shallow pan for an oily crust. Cheese covers the entire pizza, including the crust, leaving a crispy edge where the cheese meets the pan or oven surface. Bar pizzas are usually served in a bar or pub and are usually small in size (around 10" in diameter). This style of pizza is popular in the Boston area, particularly the South Shore.^[44]
• St. Louis–style pizza is a variant of thin-crust pizza popular around St. Louis and southern Illinois notable for its use of distinctive Provel cheese instead of (or, rarely, in addition to) mozzarella. Its crust is thin enough to become very crunchy in the oven, sometimes being compared to a cracker, and toppings are usually sliced instead of diced. Even though round, St. Louis-style pies are always cut into small squares.
• Italian tomato pie is a square-cut thick-crust pizza topped with chunky tomato sauce and sprinkled with pecorino romano cheese, very similar to Sicilian sfinciuni. Also known as party pizza, pizza strips, gravy pie, church pie, red bread, strip pizza, and bakery pizza. Popular in several areas around the Northeast, especially Rhode Island, Philadelphia and Utica, New York.^[45]
• Trenton tomato pie^[46] or New Jersey tomato pie^[47] is a circular thin-crust pizza where the cheese and toppings are placed before the sauce. Named after Trenton, New Jersey.^[48]

See also

• Italian-American cuisine
• List of pizza varieties by country
• Mexican Pizza – created by the U.S.-based chain Taco Bell

Further reading

• Barrett, Liz. Pizza: A Slice of American History. Minneapolis, Minn.: Voyageur Press, 2014.

Notes and References

1. Stradley, Linda. "Pizza - History & Legends of Pizza". What's Cooking America. N.p., n.d. Web. January 28, 2014.
2. Web site: U.S. Pizza Industry Facts. American Pizza Community. March 5, 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150309062137/http://www.americanpizzacommunity.com/page.asp?g=pizza&content=about. March 9, 2015. mdy-all.
3. News: Martin. Andrew. Inside the Powerful Lobby Fighting for Your Right to Eat Pizza. Bloomberg Business. Bloomberg News. March 5, 2015. September 2, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230902160627/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-03-03/junk-food-s-last-stand-the-pizza-lobby-is-not-backing-down. live.
4. Book: Nevius. Michelle . Nevius. James. 2009. Inside the Apple: A Streetwise History of New York City. New York. Free Press. 978-1416589976 . 194–95.
5. Book: Otis, Ginger Adams. New York City 7. Lonely Planet. 2010. 978-1741795912. 256. November 1, 2012. September 2, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230902160629/https://books.google.com/books?id=btN9Lh8v3OQC&q=New+York-style+pizza&pg=PA256. live.
6. News: Uyehara . Mari . 2023-10-06 . The Many Lives of Tomato Pie . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-10-15 . 0362-4331.
7. News: December 6, 1903. New-York Tribune. New York, NY. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.. December 4, 2017. December 5, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171205195717/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1903-12-06/ed-1/seq-35/. live.
8. News: Bovino. Arthur. August 13, 2018. Is America's Pizza Capital Buffalo, New York?. The Daily Beast. December 10, 2019. February 21, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220221104621/https://www.thedailybeast.com/is-americas-pizza-capital-buffalo-new-york. live.
9. Web site: Pizza Garden: Italy, the Home of Pizza . CUIP Chicago Public Schools – University of Chicago Internet Project . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131019184509/http://cuip.uchicago.edu/wit/99/teams/pizza/pizzastory.htm. October 19, 2013 . August 1, 2014.
10. Web site: Rhodes. Donna G.. Adler. Meghan E.. Clemens. John C.. LaComb. Randy P.. Moshfegh. Alanna J.. Consumption of Pizza . Food Surveys Research Group . live. https://web.archive.org/web/20141005073823/http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12355000/pdf/DBrief/11_consumption_of_pizza_0710.pdf. October 5, 2014. September 25, 2014.
11. the pizza dough recipe in the influential Italian cookbook Il cucchiaio d'argento does not use oil.
12. Web site: Regas . Peter . Deep Dish Pizza . NYT Cooking . New York Times . 20 July 2024.
13. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20110725071959/http://www.correllconcepts.com/Encyclopizza/09_Cheese/09_cheese.htm . July 25, 2011 . Chapter 9 - Pizza Cheese . John Correll . October 13, 2012.
14. Web site: Deto. Ryan. Altoona Hotel Pizza: The slice with yellow cheese from Central Pa. you've never heard of. Pittsburgh City Paper. en. May 25, 2021. May 26, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210526234558/https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/altoona-hotel-pizza-the-slice-with-yellow-cheese-from-central-pa-youve-never-heard-of/Content?oid=17252638. live.
15. Web site: Staropoli . Anna . What Makes California-Style Pizza So Unique? . Tasting Table . 20 July 2024.
16. Web site: What is California-Style Pizza? . UCP . 20 July 2024.
17. Web site: Deep Dish Or Thin Crust? Even Chicagoans Can't Agree : The Salt . NPR . December 20, 2013 . March 14, 2017 . March 7, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180307151008/https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/12/20/255601925/deep-dish-or-thin-crust-even-chicagoans-cant-agree . live .
18. Web site: Liz Barrett . A Taxonomy of Pizza Styles in America - Bar/Tavern . First We Feast . August 17, 2016 . December 16, 2017 . September 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230902160716/https://gum.criteo.com/syncframe?origin=publishertag&topUrl=firstwefeast.com . live .
19. Web site: Adam Kuban . Do You Know These Regional Pizza Styles? . Serious Eats . December 16, 2017 . September 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230902160630/https://www.seriouseats.com/a-list-of-regional-pizza-styles-slideshow#show-85736 . live .
20. News: Boster . Seth Boster . 2022-01-14 . The unlikely story of how 'Colorado-style' pizza was born Craving Colorado . 2023-06-13 . . en . September 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230902161222/https://gazette.com/life/the-unlikely-story-of-how-colorado-style-pizza-was-born-craving-colorado/article_c9e6e878-5dc0-11ec-b37c-4be675fc8211.html . live .
21. Web site: Jones . Kevin . 2023-04-15 . Colorado-Style Pizza: A Unique Pie from the Centennial State . 2023-06-13 . Pizza Need . en-US . September 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230902161133/https://pizzaneed.com/colorado-style-pizza/ . live .
22. Web site: Howell . Julie . What is Columbus Style Pizza? . Chef's Resource . 29 February 2024.
23. Web site: Holland . Julia . Columbus-Style Pizza Is The Perfect Pie For Pepperoni Lovers . Tasting Table . 3 February 2024.
24. Web site: Woellert . Dann . 2015-08-21 . It's Hip to Be Square…. In Dayton, Ohio . 2023-09-01 . dannwoellertthefoodetymologist . en . September 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230902161133/https://dannwoellertthefoodetymologist.wordpress.com/2015/08/21/its-hip-to-be-square-in-dayton-ohio/ . live .
25. Web site: Marion's Piazza . 2023-09-01 . . en . September 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230902161235/https://onebite.app/restaurant/marions-piazza-dayton-oh-8acb3915 . live .
26. Web site: Pandolfi . Keith . 22 August 2023 . I finally tried Marion's 'Dayton-style' pizza, here's how it stacks up vs. LaRosa's . 2023-08-31 . . September 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230902161145/https://www.cincinnati.com/restricted/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cincinnati.com%2Fstory%2Fentertainment%2Fdining%2F2023%2F08%2F22%2Fmarions-dayton-style-pizza-review-mason%2F70598231007%2F . live .
27. Web site: Campbell . Polly . As American as pizza pie: All the regional styles you can eat here . 2023-09-01 . . en-US . September 1, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230901175332/https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/dining/2018/08/17/regional-american-pizza-styles-found-cincinnati/823088002/ . live .
28. Web site: Landsel. David. April 28, 2021. The Best Pizza in Every State. Food & Wine. en. live. May 25, 2021. May 12, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210512165310/https://www.foodandwine.com/travel/restaurants/best-pizza-every-state.
29. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20090228103405/http://weblogs.newsday.com/features/food/blog/2008/09/grandma_pizza_the_story.html. Grandma Pizza: The full story. Feed Me (Newsday food blog). 2009-02-28. 2008-09-10. Erica. Marcus.
30. Web site: 2012-09-05 . Easy as Pie: A Guide to Regional Pizza Styles - Washingtonian . 2023-09-04 . en-US.
31. News: Hahn . Fritz . 2023-09-01 . Yes, the D.C. area has its own regional pizza. And it's fantastic. . en-US . Washington Post . 2023-09-04 . 0190-8286.
32. Web site: Does Minnesota Really Have Its Own Pizza Style? - PMQ Pizza Magazine . 2024-01-05 . www.pmq.com.
33. Web site: 2020-04-17 . What is Minneapolis style pizza, exactly? . 2024-01-05 . Discover The Cities . en-US.
34. Web site: The Definitive Guide to New Haven Pizza . Eater . March 18, 2014 . March 14, 2017 . March 25, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170325002518/http://www.eater.com/2014/3/18/6264277/the-definitive-guide-to-new-haven-pizza . live .
35. Web site: Apizza, tomato pie - New Haven, Connecticut | Local Food Guide . Eatyourworld.com . March 14, 2017 . June 24, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170624114741/http://eatyourworld.com/destinations/united_states/connecticut/new_haven/what_to_eat/apizza_tomato_pie . live .
36. News: New York Today: Our Past In Pizza . The New York Times . September 14, 2017 . Levine . Alexandra S. . June 17, 2019 . September 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230902161240/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/14/nyregion/new-york-today-history-of-nyc-pizza.html . live .
37. News: Rowan . Nic . A jumbo slice of the swamp’s favorite pizza . 20 July 2024 . Washington Examiner . 22 March 2019.
38. Web site: The Moneymaking Power of the D.C. Jumbo Slice . PMQ Pizza . 20 July 2024.
39. Web site: Why Pittsburghers should brag about Ohio Valley Pizza. Pittsburgh City Paper. en-us. September 20, 2019. September 14, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190914143206/https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/why-pittsburghers-should-brag-about-ohio-valley-pizza/Content?oid=15741010. live.
40. Web site: Resendiz . Gabriella . Let’s Get Deep: A Brief History of (and Recipes for) Our Favorite Pan Pizzas . Ooni USA . 20 July 2024.
41. Web site: Roman Pan Pizza: A History and Evolution . Teglia Romana . 20 July 2024.
42. Web site: What is Sicilian Pizza?. Elizabeth. Mary. Delighted Cooking. January 31, 2022. February 15, 2022. February 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220215201031/https://www.delightedcooking.com/what-is-sicilian-pizza.htm. live.
43. Web site: Hulin. Brenda. Classic Pizza Types. Netplaces. April 14, 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130515060807/http://www.netplaces.com/pizza/pizza-basics/classic-pizza-styles.htm. May 15, 2013. mdy-all.
44. Web site: Janjigian . Andrew . 22 May 2023 . Our new favorite pizza is this hyper-local, super-crispy style from the South Shore King Arthur Baking . 2024-04-16 . . en.
45. News: Uyehara . Mari . The Many Lives of Tomato Pie . 20 July 2024 . New York Times . 6 October 2023.
46. Web site: Trenton Tomato Pies Are Still A Staple of the New Jersey Pizza Scene . Capuzzo, Jill . New Jersey Monthly . January 12, 2010 . November 29, 2017 . December 1, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031337/https://njmonthly.com/articles/eat-drink/the-original/ . live .
47. Web site: The Dish: Chef Tony Gemignani . cbsnews.com . October 22, 2016 . November 28, 2017 . December 1, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171201034728/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-dish-chef-tony-gemignani/ . live .
48. Web site: De Lorenzo's Tomato Pies: Trenton vs. Robbinsville. Joshua Lurie. June 23, 2008. April 12, 2012. September 19, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120919233012/http://www.foodgps.com/de-lorenzos-tomato-pies-trenton-vs-robbinsville/. live.