Is Pizza A World Dish

QuadraphonicQuad

Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Clint Eastwood

2K Club - QQ Super Nova
QQ Supporter
Joined
Jun 11, 2014
Messages
12,910
Location
Int Space Station
In case some don't realize...in the United States..today is National Pizza Day...it appears there is a "day" for just about everything...some real...some imagined...but since this forum attracts a global audience...I'm curious to know what others think about this popular food...is it popular in the UK ...in Australia....New Zealand..Japan...the Netherlands.....what's your favorite topping...do you like thin crust or thick..


Some fun facts..over 3 billion pizzas are ordered every year in the US..over 1 billion frozen pizzas are purchased in the US every year..the 1st pizzeria in the US opened in 1895 in New York City
 
I love pizza...when I was kid that was my favorite snack...by the slice of course..and I always wanted the center pieces..no crust...when I was young I loved pepperoni and extra cheese...as I got older I eliminated the pepperoni and started adding vegetables...I had this "thing" for peppers on pizza...those sweet tasting banana peppers..and of course mushrooms...later in life I preferred the typical "New York" slice...thin crust...and the last few years I have acquired a taste for the margherita style..I'll bet Gos has some things to say about the Chicago pizza...they have deep dish and "stuffed" pizzas prepared over an open fire...
 
yeah.

I mostly love all styles of pizza. Chicago style is fine...but it's too damn filling. ;)
Once I had pizzas cooked in a huge clay dome in Argentina...I was ruined. That...is my favorite. Only problem is....they tend to like to put mayonnaise on their pizza. :yikes
Not sure how I feel about that....

For that matter...they put mayonnaise on everything.
 
Pizza: invented by the Greeks, improved by the Romans, perfected by the Americans...;)

Favorites:

Thick crust (sometimes called Sicilian style, sometimes called deep dish), with cheese and pork sausage topping.

Romano style (sometimes called "old fashioned") ... medium thick crust with just sauce and grated Romano cheese (the cheese is added after baking. The pizza is cool when you eat it). Just had some last night.

White Pizza: thin crust with garlic & olive oil & cheese. No red sauce. Often with sliced fresh tomatoes.

Im hungry now...:upthumb
 
yeah.

I mostly love all styles of pizza. Chicago style is fine...but it's too damn filling. ;)
Once I had pizzas cooked in a huge clay dome in Argentina...I was ruined. That...is my favorite. Only problem is....they tend to like to put mayonnaise on their pizza. :yikes
Not sure how I feel about that....

For that matter...they put mayonnaise on everything.

They put almost anything on pizza now...I must admit as much as I love where I live in Florida..the pizza isn't very good...you really have to search for it...there are a few spots...but not many...and the one little place I found gets his water imported from.....NEW YORK...to make the crust..something about the minerals in the water(or rusty pipes)...just plain old tap water...it's the closest I have found to "back in the day" pizza..
 
yeah.

I mostly love all styles of pizza. Chicago style is fine...but it's too damn filling. ;)
Once I had pizzas cooked in a huge clay dome in Argentina...I was ruined. That...is my favorite. Only problem is....they tend to like to put mayonnaise on their pizza. :yikes
Not sure how I feel about that....

For that matter...they put mayonnaise on everything.

I once had a "low carb" deep dish pizza in Chicago. The entire crust was one solid piece of sausage. It was peak Chicago.

There are different styles of the dish all over the USA - this list is pretty good, but they leave off Utica-style: https://firstwefeast.com/features/pizza-style-taxonomy/new-york
 
For me the real difference between good and great pizza is the dough.
Gotta have a decent amount of olive oil in it to keep the crust from getting sogged out by the sauce and toppings.
Simpler is also better so you can actually taste how the sauce, cheese etc., compliment each other.

A couple of years ago I switched to making pizza on my Weber gas grill as it gets way hotter than my oven.
Put the stone on the grill and preheat. 800 is my target temp. Hot enough to cook the crust through but not burn the toppings in like 5 minutes
The stone holds a couple of 10 inchers.
Usually do a margherita and a pepperoni mushroom or a sausage red pepper.
Whole milk mozzarella or maybe dollops of fresh ricotta.

And you gotta have a pizza peel!
 
I once had a "low carb" deep dish pizza in Chicago. The entire crust was one solid piece of sausage. It was peak Chicago.

There are different styles of the dish all over the USA - this list is pretty good, but they leave off Utica-style: https://firstwefeast.com/features/pizza-style-taxonomy/new-york

That "Ohio Valley" style is what I used to get as a kid..a slice from a square pie.. they would put a small amount of cheese on it while it cooked..and then put more cheese on it after it came out of the oven..giving you freshly melted cheese when you ate it...usually in the parking lot of the pizza place..with a cold beer in your car with the radio cranked up:banana:
 
For me the real difference between good and great pizza is the dough.
Gotta have a decent amount of olive oil in it to keep the crust from getting sogged out by the sauce and toppings.
Simpler is also better so you can actually taste how the sauce, cheese etc., compliment each other.

A couple of years ago I switched to making pizza on my Weber gas grill as it gets way hotter than my oven.
Put the stone on the grill and preheat. 800 is my target temp. Hot enough to cook the crust through but not burn the toppings in like 5 minutes
The stone holds a couple of 10 inchers.
Usually do a margherita and a pepperoni mushroom or a sausage red pepper.
Whole milk mozzarella or maybe dollops of fresh ricotta.

And you gotta have a pizza peel!

Oh man..I just had flashbacks...THE WEBBER..that was a big part of my life..grilling..grilling..and more grilling..I loved that thing...all my buddies had one too(y)
 
Here in the northeast neopolitan thin crust is popular. Also Greek pan pies.
A friend I used to know was from Italy and he was always amazed with America's fascination for pizza. He told me that in Italy pizza used to be considered peasant food because it was a way to get rid of all your left overs.
If anyone here is able to visit New York City you owe it to yourself to visit John's Pizzeria in Greenwich Village at 278 Bleecker Street. They have been there since the 30's I think. It's one of the only coal fired ovens left in the area. You will not regret it. Also leave your initials on the table before you leave. Seems everyone does it. If you arrive at dinner time be prepared to wait outside in a long line. It moves pretty fast though.
 
Back
Top