Every Pizza Style We Could Find In the United States

As the saying goes, pizza is like sex. Even when it's bad, it's still pretty good. What's not to love about a chewy crust, zesty sauce, gooey cheese, and a mind-boggling array of potential toppings? The beauty of pizza is that it can be made in an infinite number of ways. Today on Weird History Food, we're looking at most every style of pizza made in the United States. But before we get started, be sure to subscribe to the Weird History Food channel. After that, leave a comment and let OK, time to deliver all kinds of delicious pizza pies in 20 minutes or less, guaranteed. New York and pizza go together like the birds and the bees and bagels and cream cheese. Not surprising, then, that the Big Apple has its own brand of pie. Tracing back to the recipes that immigrants from Naples brought with them across the Atlantic, New York-style pizza has evolved into its own thing. It's cheesier than its Neapolitan ancestor and a bit bigger. The wide, triangular slices, which any true New Yorker would fall lengthwise to eat, are cut from a thin crust pie about 18 inches in diameter, the perfect size for a pizza wrap. Overshadowed by its thin crust cousin, grandma-style is New York's best-kept pizza secret. Named for all the nonnas who express their amore in the kitchen, grandma pie has roots in the old country. Like Sicilian pizza, grandma pies boast a thick crust and are baked in rectangles. But unlike its Sicilian ancestor, the grandma-style dough is proofed for a shorter time, producing a heartier base. Toppings are often simple, just cheese, fresh tomato sauce, maybe some herbs, and that's it. No pineapple on this pie. Despite its roots in Sicily, nonna's invention is relatively recent. Long Island pizza makers began producing grandma pies in the 1960s or 70s, although the pizza only started appearing on menus within the last two decades. Say, Chicago-style pizza, and many people imagine deep dish. But most residents of the Windy City will correct the record. What's the difference? Come on, spit it out. Deep dish is for tourists. Real Chicagoans eat tavern-style pizza, a thin and crispy crust pie cut into squares. The small uniform slices make for a very social pie. They're easily held by hand, ideal for parties and events, and for eating at the bar while watching the Bears have another losing season. That's the Chicago way. Most people associate Buffalo, New York with its namesake hot wings, but the city has another culinary curiosity, Buffalo-style pizza. As Arthur Bovino described it in The Daily Beast, the dough has the lightness of focaccia. There is always lots of cheese. And while the sauce does happen to be slightly sweet, that ends up being a nice contrast to the spicy oil pooled in the copious, charred, meaty pepperoni. That sounds delectable and messy. Delectable messiness. Buffalo pizza also lacks the typical crusty rim. The sauce, cheese, and pepperoni extend to the edge of the pie, so bring extra napkins. New York City may be the self-proclaimed capital of pizza in the US, but its neighbor of the eastern seaboard has its own loyal base of pie hounds. In New Haven, Connecticut, locals and Yale University students alike line up for the celebrated Abitz, a New Haven original. As pizza historian Liz Barrett described it, one of the hallmarks of Abitz is its birth in a coal oven. But that's not the only thing that defines a New Haven-style pizza. Some of the characteristics that many New Haven-style pies seem to have in common are what locals call a flat, not thin, and tender crust, which is a result of the proofing process and the use of all-purpose flour, sauce that is never precooked, the use of Pecorino Romano cheese instead of mozzarella, and the use of breadcrumbs beneath the dough during baking instead of cornmeal. The white clam pie originated at Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana sometime in the 1950s, but now you can find examples in nearly every pizzeria in New Haven. According to Barrett, this bivalve-studded pie is a direct descendant of a New Haven-style pizza. In its purest form, the white clam pie is topped with fresh-shucked clams, olive oil, grated Pecorino Romano cheese, oregano, and garlic. Some use fresh clams, some can. Each preparation has its set of enthusiasts, depending on the severity of your hangover. Pizza lovers in Detroit rev their engines for the distinctive Detroit-style pizza. A twist on the classic grandma pie, it's baked at a higher temperature than Nonna's pizza and is cut into rectangles, like the pizza we used to get at school. It also differs from other pizzas in its cheese. A true Detroit-style pizza uses Wisconsin brick cheese, not mozzarella. To trace the origins of Detroit-style pizza, look no further than Buddy's, which has operated as a restaurant since 1946. Although it started in Motor City, Detroit-style pizza has gained a national following. Restaurants serving it have sprung up in noted pizza towns like New York and Chicago. Pizza is a popular snack option at bars nationwide. Nothing mops up alcohol like a slab of dough and cheese. But not every pie consumed in a bar is technically bar-style pizza. Proper bar style starts with a thin, crispy crust with a touch of pliability and is generally personal size, around 10 to 12 inches. Although technically, any pizza is personal sized if you're not a coward. Instead of a generous, crusty rim, in this variation, the sauce and cheese extend nearly to the edge of the pie. So again, napkins are advised. Many regions claim to have created the bar pizza. But the style's true origins remain a mystery. Sometimes, a name says it all. That's true of Washington, DC's signature pizza, the so-called jumbo slice. It's not a misnomer. A jumbo slice can range in length from roughly a foot to about 16 inches. The slices are so big that they are traditionally served in oversized containers. For those nights when you just need to eat as much pizza as you can legally buy, come on, we've all been there. Pizza! You want to fight about pizza? Bring up deep dish. Standing and imposing 2 to 3 inches tall, deep dish is more reminiscent of a conventional dessert pie than almost any other pizza. Cheese, toppings, and tomato sauce are nestled within and atop a buttery crust. And it's all baked longer than a typical pizza, usually close to an hour. Because it bakes for so long, the tomato sauce typically goes on top so the cheese and toppings don't burn. Deep dish pizza has a long history in Chicago. Pizzeria Uno, which Chicagoans Ike Sewell and Rick Ricardo opened in 1943, claims to be the originator. Over the decades, this thick pie has been ridiculed as much as it has been embraced. Proud New Yorker John Stewart ranted that Chicago deep dish was nothing more than a casserole. Even Chicagoans have voiced skepticism. Barack Obama observed, no offense, Chicago, I love our pizza. New York's a little more practical. Chicago deep dish is basically, you have to sit down and eat it like lasagna. So basically, the biggest complaint about deep dish pizza is you can't fork it down in three bites, which is admittedly a fair critique of pizza. St. Louis is known for its famous arch and gooey butter cake. It also has its own pizza. Like tavern style and many bar style pies, St. Louis pizza consists of a thin crust cut into squares. But here's where it differs. Baked at high temperatures, its crust is cracker thin. Plus, it features Provel cheese, a processed cheese that's become a favorite in the city. It kind of sounds like a family sized bagel bite, which is to say, delicious. These days, people put unconventional toppings on pizza when they want to show off their creativity or go viral. But there was a time not long ago when putting things like chevre, arugula, fried chicken, or artichoke hearts were considered ghastly. That's until the 1980s when California Cuisine, known for highlighting farm fresh local ingredients, was born in restaurants like Chez Panisse and Spago. Restauranteurs like Alice Waters and Wolfgang Puck put wood fired pizzas on their menus featuring fresh local ingredients. Puck especially raised eyebrows with toppings like smoked salmon and caviar or Sonoma lamb with braised greens and rosemary. Because there is nothing different or unusual about California pizza's crust, shape, or cut, these days we just call it pizza with fancy toppings. Old Forge, Pennsylvania may be a small town of roughly 8,000 people in the northeastern corner of the state, but it has its own distinct style of pizza. The original Old Forge pizza was cooked up in the 1920s at a local tavern owned by the Ghigliarelli family. The pie is baked on a tray to produce a thick crust with a crispy exterior and soft interior. A red pizza uses a sweet, chunky tomato sauce, while a white pizza features cheese and toppings inside. You mean the whole pizza is a stuffed crust? Oh, yeah, they've got to figure it out in Old Forge. So much so that many of the town's pizzerias make pizza the same way. Most people have heard of Cuban sandwiches and Cuban coffee, but Cuban style pizza probably isn't as familiar. Am I hallucinating here? Just what in the hell do you think you are doing? Learning about Cuba, having some food. It turns out this fresh take on the classic is as delicious as it is different. What makes it so unique? The addition of Gouda to its cheese blend, proving once again that adding more cheese is always a Gouda idea. This pizza style can be found in Miami, Florida, home of a robust Cuban-American community, where restaurants like Ray Pizza and Paco Mer have been serving up slices for years. Youngstown, Ohio, located in the northeastern part of the Buckeye State, was a steel hotspot in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It flourished thanks to, in part, a workforce composed largely of immigrants, including Italians. The Italians who flocked to the city's Briar Hill neighborhood brought along their language, culture, and recipes. And since you've been watching the video for this long, you know recipes means pizza. The new residents drew upon pizza from Italy's Basilicata region to create Briar Hill style pies in Youngstown. Not too thick and not too thin, the pizza has a crunchy crust and uses Romano cheese. But the secret is in its sundae sauce, a tomato-based concoction that is both sweet and tangy. The Briar Hill style pie became popular in the 1940s and continues to be served in some city restaurants. Y-Town is my town. Staying in Northeast Ohio, about 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, is Steubenville, Ohio, home of Ohio Valley Pizza. What makes it so unique? When a pie goes into the oven, it is just the dough, tomato sauce, and a dusting of cheese. Then an extra layer of cold cheese and toppings is added after the bake, creating a tantalizing blend of hot and cold flavors. It sounds like a pizza a drunk person made by accident, but Ohio Valley Pizzas have been a local favorite since 1945, when the DiCarlo family started a pizzeria in Steubenville and debuted their unique pie. One more for the Ohio. Believe it or not, Dayton, Ohio is home to its own style of pizza. Thin crust and square cut, Dayton style pies have been served since the 1950s, when Vic Cassano opened the pizzeria that bears his last name. Other pizza makers who had connections to Cassano soon joined the game and opened their own joints. Ron Hulp of Ron's Pizza is credited with starting Dayton's Pizza Wars. Marion Glass, another Cassano connected pizza maker, upped the ante by adding a dining room to his restaurant, Marion's Pizza. Luckily, the best thing about a pizza war is that the customer never loses. It just means more pizza. Greek pizza is a unique pie served in restaurants opened by Greek immigrants in New England, particularly in Boston. It's been an alternative to quick service chains like Pizza Hut and includes a thick, chewy crust with plenty of sauce, cheese, and oregano. Many people who grew up eating this unique pie admit that while Greek pizza may not be the best style out there, it nonetheless hits the spot in a pinch. Look, we may be talking about dozens of unique spins on a recipe, but we can all agree that the basic formula for a pizza is tomato sauce spread over dough with a sprinkling of cheese and toppings, right? Not according to pizzerias in Trenton, New Jersey, home to the tomato pie, the city's own take on grabbing a slice. Instead of layering cheeses over tomato, the Trenton pie puts a chunky tomato sauce on top of the cheese, creating a tasty tomato forward flavor. Trenton tomato pie may even be a bit more authentic than some of the Americanized offerings out there, if authenticity is important when you're putting a hurtin' on an 18-inch with extra cheese. The style has its roots in the pizza served at Joe's Tomato Pies. The eatery was opened in 1910 by Joe Silvestro, an immigrant from Naples, the city that birthed pizza. One of Silvestro's employees opened his own restaurant, Papa's Tomato Pies, that still bakes tomato pies for customers in Trenton. In New York City, pizza lovers pay by the slice. Colorado, they pay by the pound. Colorado-style pizza, also known as Colorado Mountain Pie, which is something food should never be called, originated at Bo Joe's Pizzeria in the 1970s in Idaho Springs, just west of Denver. This decadent spin on the classic food is a doughy delicacy. Although diners can add a number of toppings, what really counts is its crust. Chefs use honey, not sugar, to bake the pizza's signature thick, braided crust. The Quad Cities, five small cities clustered around the Mississippi River in Illinois and Iowa, may be overshadowed by nearby Chicago, but their pizza is worth trying. Quad City-style pizza boasts a spicy tomato sauce and sausage and is cut into strips instead of square or triangular slices for maximum binging efficiency. Chefs also use malt syrup or molasses to create a sweeter, softer crust. Philadelphia is known for its cheesesteaks, but the city of brotherly love serves up another local offering, tomato pies. They're made of thick dough, a layer of chunky tomato, and a scant dusting of grated cheese. As Philadelphia Magazine described it, tomato pie, our city's cheeseless wonder, can be traced back to thick tomato-topped dough slices made in Sicily that traveled here with waves of Italian immigrants, some of whose bakeries still stand as icons of the craft. And although New Jersey has its own thin-crusted cheese on the bottom version, we like Philly-style tomato pie best, with lots of red gravy, thick and tender crust, and just a sprinkling of Parmesan on top. Philly tomato pie has built generations of loyal fans, who generally eat slices cold or at room temperature. Sometimes, cold pizza is better pizza. It's better than hot pizza? That's insane. You don't tell me what kind of pizza to like. New England boasts many regional specialties, many of them seafood-related, like lobster rolls and clam chowder, and whatever mythological ocean serpent gave the Patriots their powers. But there is another regional food associated with New England, beach pizza. It's a sheet tray pie topped with a sweet tomato sauce, a dusting of grated cheese, and a slice of provolone. You're most likely to find beach pizza in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The location that's been slinging slices of beach pizza the longest is Tripoli Bakery, whose recipe dates back to 1944. Rhode Island is home to one of the most unique pizza varieties, Red Strips, which is lucky, because Rhode Island isn't home to much else. Like the name suggests, Red Strips are rectangular pizza strips of baked dough and tomato sauce. That's right. Red Strips are pizza without the cheese. Don't bother calling the police. They don't care. That's $122.50. Not for me, kid. I don't live here. The other unique attribute of Red Strips is they aren't served at pizzerias. Instead, Rhode Islanders find Red Strips at local bakeries. Pizza comes in all shapes and sizes, but one of the most consistent features is mozzarella, right? Not according to the good people of Altoona, Pennsylvania, about two hours east of Pittsburgh. As the Pittsburgh City paper described it, Altoona style is composed of Sicilian-style dough and cut into squares. On top of the dough is a layer of sweet tomato sauce, then some deli-style salami, then a thick green bell pepper ring, and then topped with yellow cheese, like Velveeta or American. Mm, sounds more like notzarella. The pizza's unconventional ingredients have led some to cry foul and insist it isn't pizza at all. But if we've learned nothing else today, it's that in these United States, the definition of pizza is limited only by the chef's creativity and locals' willingness to claim and defend it as their own. So what do you think? Which style of pizza is the best? Let us know in the comments below. And while you're at it, check out some of these other videos from Weird History Food.