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National Pizza Day and Super Bowl Sunday both fall on Feb. 9. While the Chiefs and Eagles fight it out in New Orleans, a food fight could be brewing over what style of pizza to put on the snack table.
What region has the best pizza? Unlike New York, Chicago and other cities, neither Kansas City nor Philadelphia can claim an original spin on pizza that caught on regionally.
So the competition is wide open in our informal survey about the best pizza style in America. Here are the main contenders:
New York-Style Pizza
New York lays claim to the birthplace of the American pizzeria in 1905. Italian immigrant Gennaro Lombard, who obtained the first pizza license in America, created what’s widely known as New York-style pizza. This hand-thrown, thin-crust round pie is known for its large, floppy sides that can be folded to prevent spillage while eating.
Authentic New York-style pizza is topped with marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella. Meat, usually pepperoni or sausage, and any number of vegetables or different kinds of cheeses can also be used as toppings.
Chicago-Style Pizza
There’s no folding a slice of authentic Chicago-style pizza and eating it on the run. A knife and fork are needed for this tall pizza, which can rise up to 3 inches along the sides and create a “bowl”
The mozzarella, crumbled sausage or pepperoni, and vegetables go on first, and the marinara is spread over the top.
Detroit-Style Pizza
The sauce also goes on top of thick-crusted Detroit-style pizza, but the similarities end there. The first difference is the shape — Detroit-style pizza is baked in rectangular pans and cut in squares for serving.
What sets Detroit-style pizza apart isn’t its shape, though. Par baking before the toppings are added causes the dough to shrink from the sides of the pan, creating a space for cheese to wedge into and build its tall cheese crust.
Pepperoni is the most popular topping for Detroit-style pizza.
Neapolitan-Style Pizza
Neapolitan-style pizza, which originated in Naples, Italy, is baked in a super-hot, 800-degree wood-burning oven for less than 2 minutes. The crust of Pizza Napolena is tender, light and moist at the same time and, under Italian law, can’t be thicker than about a tenth of an inch (converted from centimeters). There are other requirements for authenticity: Ingredients must be Italian and come from a specific area, such as San Marzano tomatoes, and toppings must be limited to three. Extra-virgin oil and fresh basil are always finishing touches on this pizza.
Some variations include pizza marinara (tomato, garlic, oregano, and extra-virgin olive oil); pizza margherita (tomato, fresh sliced mozzarella, fresh basil and extra-virgin olive oil); and pizza margherita extra (tomato, sliced mozzarella di Bufala, fresh basil and extra-virgin olive oil).
New Haven-Style Apizza
An “a,” an abbreviation of “the,” is placed ahead of this style of pizza in a nod to the Neapolitan dialect of Italian immigrants who settled in New Haven. This chewy, thin-crust pizza has an oblong shape and is cooked in a coal-fired oven to give it a charred flavor. Sometimes called a “tomato pie,” the effort is in the crust and the sauce with a bit of grated Romano sprinkled on top. Mozzarella can be added, but it’s considered a topping.
Within this broader category is a specialty take known as New Haven white clam pizza. It has olive oil, garlic, clams and grated Romano.
California-Style Pizza
Locally sourced ingredients push this hand-tossed thin crust into new culinary territory that goes beyond marinara and mozzarella. Influenced by the state’s robust farm-to-table movement, the unique mixes of toppings are the star of California-style pizza.
Some of them include avocados, artichoke hearts, meatballs, shrimp, dates, diced peanuts, shredded coconut and goat cheese.
and grilled chicken influenced by the farm-to-table movement.
St. Louis-Style Pizza
The crust of St. Louis-style pizza is made without yeast and is rolled thin to create the distinctive crisp, cracker-like crust. Instead of being sliced into pie-like wedges like, the rectangular tavern cut creates pieces that better support a mountain of toppings.
The tomato sauce is sweeter and seasoned with more oregano than other marinara, and it’s topped with Provel cheese, a white processed cheese made from cheddar, Swiss and provolone cheese.
Sicilian-Style Pizza
The thick, sponge-like crust sets Sicilian-style pizza apart from other Italian pizza. Dripping with olive oil, it is baked in a rectangular pan with toppings that include onions, anchovies, tomatoes, herbs and strong cheese, such as caciocavallo and toma. Toppings can be layered in any order, but often the sauce is on the top and allowed to drip through to the crust.
OK, Tell Us What You Think
In the form below, defend your choice as if it were your favorite NFL team. If we’ve overlooked your favorite style of pizza, tell us about it. And don’t worry, we won’t collect your email address.
Sources: Food & Wine, Taste of Home, The Spruce Eats and pizzeria websites.