Pizza

:This article is about the food item. For the programming language, see Pizza programming language. For the Australian television show, see Pizza (Australian television).

Types of pizza

Authentic Neapolitan pizza (pizza Napoletana)

According to the Associazione vera pizza napoletana, genuine Neapolitan pizza dough consists of italian wheat flour (type 0 and/or 00), natural Neapolitan yeast or brewer's yeast, and water. For proper results, strong flour with high protein content (as used for bread-making rather than cakes) must be used. The dough must be kneaded by hand or with an approved mixer that moves in a clockwise direction. After the rising process, the dough must be formed by the right hand and the first two fingers of the left without the help of a rolling pin or any other mechanical device, and may be no more than 0.31278 cm thick. Baking the pizza must take place in a oak-wood-fired, stone oven at 485.6°C (905°F) for 60-90 seconds. When cooked, it should be soft and fragrant (see a more detailed recipe below).

Related Topics:
Flour - Yeast - Brewer's yeast - Rolling pin

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Regional specialties

Pizza has become an international food since the toppings can be extensively varied to meet local variations in taste. These pizzas consist of the same basic design but include an exceptionally diverse choice of ingredients, such as anchovies, egg, pineapple, eggplant, lamb, couscous, chicken, fish, and shellfish, meats done in ethnic styles such as Moroccan lamb, kebab or even chicken tikka masala, and non-traditional spices such as curry and Thai sweet chili. A "white pizza" (pizza bianca) uses no tomato sauce, often substituting pesto or dairy products such as sour cream. Pizzas with non-traditional ingredients are known in the United States as "gourmet pizza" or California-style pizza. Pizzas can also be made without meat for vegetarians, and without cheese for vegans. Breakfast pizzas are topped with ingredients such as scrambled eggs.

Related Topics:
Anchovies - Egg - Pineapple - Eggplant - Lamb - Couscous - Chicken - Fish - Shellfish - Moroccan - Kebab - Chicken tikka masala - Curry - Thai - Chili - Pesto - Dairy - Sour cream - United States - California-style pizza - Vegetarian - Vegan - Breakfast - Scrambled eggs

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In some areas there is a distinction between Italian pizza and Greek pizza, with the Greek pizza generally having a slightly thicker crust and a tendency to use olive oil as a topping in and of itself.

Related Topics:
Greek pizza - Olive oil

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In San Francisco, California, the Indian Pizza has become a source of pride, wooing residents with traditional South Asian flavors on top of pizza: curries, prawns, tandoori chicken, etc.

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• Hawaiian pizzas are an American invention, usually consisting of a cheese and tomato base with Canadian bacon and pineapple. It is especially popular in the Western United States, where a style commonly called "The Perfect Pizza" consists of pepperoni on one half, and Hawaiian-style on the other. Hawaiian pizzas are also popular throughout Australia. Hawaiian-style pizza is mocked by some (primarily outside the western US or Australia) as a variation which has strayed too far from its Italian roots, and loathed by some others for the effect the addition of sweet fruit has on the overall flavor, though its popularity has nonetheless endured and is a favorite of many. Interestingly, "Hawaiian-style" pizza is not particularly popular in Hawaii.
• In New York City, pizza is sold in oversized, thin and flexible slices. It is traditionally hand-tossed and light on sauce. The slices are sometimes eaten folded in half, as its size and flexibility may otherwise make it unwieldy to eat by hand. This style of pizza tends to dominate the Northeastern states, many shops advertising New York-style pizza.
• In Chicago, Illinois, the Chicago-style pizza, or deep dish pizza, contains a crust which is formed up the sides of a deep dish pan and reverses the order of ingredients, using crust, cheese, filling, then sauce on top. Some versions (usually referred to as "stuffed" pizza) have two layers of crust with the sauce on top. Deep dish pizza was purportedly invented and first served in 1943 at Pizzeria Uno, which is still operating along with its twin restaurant, Pizzeria Due, in the River North neighborhood of Chicago.
• In New Haven, Connecticut, the local specialty is known as apizza. This thin-crust pizza originated with the Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in the Wooster Square neighborhood of New Haven. The canonical New Haven-style pizza is a white clam pie.
• In St. Louis, Missouri, Saint Louis-style pizza is made with a thin crispy crust, often heavily seasoned with salt and oregano, topped with provel cheese, and served in small squares rather than pie-like slices.
• In Buffalo, New York, pizza is made with a thicker, doughier crust than traditional New York style pizza, with a slightly thicker and sweeter sauce, mozzarella cheese and (usually) pepperoni cooked until it is burned and crispy on the edges. It is generally served with Buffalo wings, which are ordered by the dozen or the bucket.
• In Utica, NY, a type of pizza called tomato pie is common. This type of pizza is usually served cold, and is topped only with a light layer of Pecorino Romano cheese
• In the Youngstown, OH area, one can find what is known as "Brier Hill Pizza". This style of pizza originated in the Brier Hill neighborhood, which was Youngstown's "Little Italy". It features a thick sauce topped with a mixture of Parmesan and Romano cheese and green peppers.
• In Rhode Island, there exists a type of pizza called strip pizza, which is commonly sold in bakeries. This form of pizza has a thick, chewy, almost bread-like dough and is topped with a very thick tomato sauce. It has a minimal amount of cheese, and is always served cold. It is usually (but not always) wrapped in individual strips (hence the name). A similar product is made in Italian bakeries in other places, but has no special name.
• In Scotland, fish and chip shops commonly sell a "pizza supper". This consists of a portion of fried chips (french fries) and a frozen pizza which has been deep fried rather than baked. Although its nutritional value is dubious, it is nevertheless a popular meal.
• In Canada, a popular pizza topping combination uses bacon, pepperoni and mushrooms and is called a 'Canadian Pizza'. In Quebec, the Canadian Pizza topping combination is called a 'Québécois Pizza'. There is no difference between the two and the differentiation is merely political. A pizza with mushrooms, pepperoni, and green bell pepper is referred to as "All-Dressed".
• In Australia, a commonly sold style is the Aussie pizza, which is topped with ham, bacon, cheese and egg. It is generally loved or hated by pizza lovers, and is featured on most pizza shop menus across the country.
• In Japan and South Korea, pizza toppings may include sweet corn, diced potatoes, scrambled eggs, mayonnaise, Camembert cheese, curry sauce, and various kinds of seafood. Japanese pizzas are commonly served with Tabasco sauce, to be added as a condiment. A Japanese dish called "okonomiyaki" is sometimes referred to in English as a "Japanese pizza".

Crusts and baking methods

Pizza may be baked with a thin bread bottom (Italian or "hand-tossed" style) or with thicker bread (pan pizza).

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Crust can be very large (up to 1 or 2 cm, 0.4-0.8 in) in the Neapolitan pizza or almost non-existent in the Roman pizza. Some pizzas are now made with a cheese filled crust.

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In restaurants, pizza can be baked in a gas oven, a conveyor belt oven or, in the case of more expensive restaurants, a wood- or coal-fired brick oven. In the latter case, the pizza is slid into the oven on a long paddle called a peel and baked directly on the hot bricks. When making pizza at home, it can be baked on a "pizza stone" in a regular oven to imitate the effect of a brick oven. Another option is grilled pizza, in which the crust is baked directly on a barbecue grill. Greek pizza, like Chicago-style pizza, is baked in a pan rather than directly on the bricks of the pizza oven.

Related Topics:
Peel - Grilled - Barbecue - Greek pizza - Chicago-style pizza

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In home-made pizza, there are many variations on the bread used for crust. In some countries, creations such as pita pizza, bagel pizza, and tortilla pizza are popular, especially with children. In Japan, where full-size ovens are a rarity in the home, pizza toast is a popular version.

Related Topics:
Pita - Bagel - Tortilla - Toast

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Frozen pizzas are generally considered inferior in quality to pizzeria-made pizzas, though there are some exemplary frozen pizzas. Recently, frozen pizzas with a rising-crust have appeared on the market.

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