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In its original form, a pizza (pronounced "pee-tza") is an oven-baked, flat, usually circular bread covered with tomato sauce and cheese with optional toppings. The cheese is usually mozzarella (the traditional Italian pizza uses buffalo mozzarella or, according to Naples' tradition, fior di latte cheese) or sometimes a mixture of several cheeses such as parmesan, romano and ricotta. Various other toppings may be added, most typically:

The crust is traditionally plain, but may also be seasoned with butter, garlic, or herbs, or stuffed with cheese. In some pizza recipes (termed "white pizza") the tomato sauce is omitted, or replaced with another sauce (usually garlic butter but can be sauces made with spinach or onions). Pizza is normally eaten hot (typically at lunch or dinner), but leftovers are often eaten for breakfast or snacks cold.

The etymology of the word pizza is disputed. The form pizza first appears in Naples in the 16th century. Piza or pissa is late Vulgar Latin (9th century) flat bread, and apparently came to mean a flat bread with a cheese topping by the 14th century in some Italian dialects.Oxford English Dictionary Online Pizzo, which means point in Italian, may have been an influence.Dizionario Etimologico, RusconiLibri, Prima Edizione, 2003, Italian language. Many languages around the Mediterranean have similar words meaning flat bread or unleavened bread, see pita.

A restaurant that serves pizza is called a pizzeria (from Italian); in the US, the phrase "pizza parlor" is also used. Pizza can also be purchased in grocery stores or supermarkets (usually, but not always, frozen); in many countries, pizza can also be ordered by phone (or, increasingly, via the Web) to be delivered, hot and ready to eat, to almost any address within range of the restaurant. The first pizzeria established in the U.S. was Lombardi's in New York.

Pizza, a local food item originated from a small region of Italy, has become popular in the whole world, even more than its arch-rival, the hamburger, and is now a symbol of cultural globalization.

History

See history of 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).

The crust can be very thick as in Chicago-style pizza or almost non-existent as in the Roman pizza. Some pizzas are now made with a cheese-filled crust.

In restaurants, pizza can be baked in a gas canister (stone bricks above the heat source) oven, an electric deck oven, a conveyor belt oven or, in the case of more expensive restaurants, a wood- or coal-fired brick oven. On deck ovens, the pizza can be slid into the oven on a long paddle called a peel and baked directly on the hot bricks or baked on a screen (a round metal pan that has holes in it like a screen). 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.

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. In Australia, Domino's has introduced the "Puffection" pizza, featuring puff pastry as base.

Tomato sauce

Pizza is often broadly divided into "red" and "white" and sometimes "blue" (rare) pizzas, which respectively do and do not contain tomatoes. Of the red pizzas, the most common form of tomato topping is a thick, smooth tomato sauce known generically as "tomato paste", which differs from tomato sauces used for pasta in containing less water, reducing the likelihood of a soggy crust. In the most typical style of pizza, the sauce is swirled on in a thin layer using a ladle or similar type of large spoon, with toppings placed on the top. With some forms of pizza, particularly deep-dish, this is inverted, with the cheese and toppings placed directly on the dough and the sauce ladled over the top. Original neapolitan pizzas use only raw, sliced tomatoes.

It is not uncommon to use a raw tomato sauce or tomato puree (usually made from canned tomatoes and fresh herbs such as basil). Similarly, diced or ground tomatoes are often used more or less straight on deep-dish pizza. In both cases, the tomatoes are cooked by the high temperatures of the oven. Some otherwise "white" pizzas also use thinly sliced fresh tomatoes as a topping.

Frozen pizza

Pizza is also found in supermarkets as a frozen food. Considerable amounts of food technology ingenuity has gone into the creation of palatable frozen pizza. The main challenges include preventing the sauce from combining with the dough and producing a crust that can be frozen and reheated without becoming rigid. Modified corn starch is commonly used as a moisture barrier between the sauce and crust. Traditionally the dough is somewhat pre-baked and other ingredients are also sometimes pre-cooked.

More recently, frozen pizza with completely raw ingredients have also begun to appear, as have those with a rising-crust.

Italian and European law

Despite the simplicity of the ingredients used in a Neapolitan pizza, the most authentic versions are made with local ingredients:

In Italy there is a bill before Parliament to safeguard the traditional Italian pizza, Bill for traditional Italian pizza specifying permissible ingredients and methods of processing Permissible ingredients and methods of processing (e.g. excluding frozen pizzas). Only pizzas which followed these guidelines could be called "traditional Italian pizzas", at least in Italy.

Italy has also requested that the European Union safeguard some traditional Italian pizzas, such as "margherita" and "marinara".Più vicina la tutela europea per la pizza, from an Italian government website This is part of an ongoing trend within Europe, preventing the names of regional foods being commercially exploited.

Types of pizza

In recent years, pizza has become an international food and 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, coconut, sauerkraut, eggplant, kim-chi, 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. Pizzas can also be made without meat for vegetarians, and without cheese for vegans. Breakfast pizzas are topped with ingredients such as scrambled eggs. "Supreme" pizzas typically include a thick layer of many different toppings.

Pizza styles

  • Neapolitan pizza (pizza Napoletana). According to the rules proposed by the Associazione vera pizza napoletana and other sources quoted by the BBC,Italy mulls pizza protection law, a May 24, 2004 BBC News article and the legal EU document with the Vera Pizza Napoletana Specification in translation, the 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 a low-speed mixer. After the rising process, the dough must be formed by hand without the help of a rolling pin or other mechanical device, and may be no more than 3 mm (1/8 in) thick. The pizza must be baked for 60–90 seconds in a 485 °C (905 °F) stone oven with an oak-wood fire. When cooked, it should be soft and fragrant. Neapolitan pizza has also gained in Italy the status of "guaranteed traditional speciality". This admits only three official variants:
    • Pizza marinara: with tomato, garlic, oregano and oil;
    • Pizza Margherita: tomato, mozzarella in fillets, basil and oil;
    • Pizza Margherita Extra: tomato, buffalo mozzarella from Campania in fillets, basil and oil.
  • Veneto style: Pizza in Veneto (Venice, Padova) is very thin (0.5 cm), crispy in the outer ring but soft, almost flimsy, in the inner portion. Little sauce is used, and a popular topping is strips of Prosciutto.
  • Lazio style: Pizza in Lazio (Rome), as well as in many other parts of Italy is available in 2 different "flavours": 1) In take-away shops so-called "Pizza Rustica" or "Pizza a Taglio". Pizza is cooked in long, rectangular baking pans and relatively thick (1-2 cm). The crust similar to that of an English muffin and mostly cooked in an electric oven. When purchased, it is usually cut with scissors or knife and priced by weight. 2) In Pizza Restaurants (Pizzerie), where it is served in a dish in its traditional round shape, it features a very thin crust compared to Neapolitan recipe. It is mostly cooked in a wood-fired oven which gives pizza its unique flavour and taste. In Rome a "Pizza Napoletana" is topped with tomato, mozzarella, anchovies and oil (thus, what in Naples is called "Pizza Romana", in Rome is called "Pizza Napoletana"). Strangely enough, there is no such "Pizza Napoletana" in Naples and no "Pizza Romana" in Rome.
  • Pizza Romana (in Naples): tomato, mozzarella, anchovies, oregano, oil;
  • Pizza Viennese: tomato, mozzarella, German sausage, oregano, oil;
  • Pizza with Ham and Mushrooms: tomato, mozzarella, ham, mushrooms;
  • Pizza Capricciosa ("Caprice Pizza"): mozzarella, tomato, mushrooms, artichokes, cooked ham, olives, oil (in Rome raw ham is used and half hard-boiled egg is added ;
  • Pizza Quattro Stagioni ("Four Seasons Pizza"): same ingredients for the Capricciosa, but ingredients not mixed;
  • Four Cheeses Pizza: tomato, mozzarella, other cheeses;
  • Sicilian-style pizza has its toppings baked directly into the crust. An authentic recipe uses neither cheese nor anchovies. Sicilian Pizza in the United States is typically a different variety of product made with a thick crust characterized by a rectangular shape and topped with tomato sauce and cheese (and optional toppings). Pizza Hut's Sicilian Pizza, introduced in 1994, is not an authentic example of the style as only garlic, basil, and oregano are mixed into the crust.
  • White pizza (pizza bianca) uses no tomato sauce, often substituting pesto or dairy products such as sour cream. Most commonly, the toppings consist only of mozzarella and ricotta cheese. In Rome, the term pizza bianca refers to a type of bread topped only with olive oil.
  • "Cecina" or "Chickpea Pizza" http://fornobravo.com/brick_oven_cooking/brick_oven_recipes/flatbread/cecina.html. A Tuscan regional dish made from cecina, or chickpea flour, water, salt and olive oil. Also called Socca in the Provence region of France. Often baked in a brick oven, and typically weighed and sold by the slice.
  • Similar dishes:
    • The Alsacian tarte flambée (German: Flammekueche) is a thin disc of dough covered in crème fraîche, onions, and bacon.
    • The Anatolian Lahmacun (Arabic: lahma bi ajeen; Armenian: lahmajoun; also Armenian pizza or Turkish pizza) is a meat-topped dough round. The bread is usually very thin; the layer of meat often includes chopped vegetables.
    • The Provençal pissaladiere is similar to an Italian pizza, with a slightly thicker crust and generally a topping of cooked onions, anchovies, and olives.
    • Calzone and stromboli are very similar dishes (calzone is traditionally half-moon-shaped, while a stromboli is tube-shaped) that are often made of pizza dough rolled or folded around a filling.
    • Pizza is sometimes used in Italian as a general word for a savory pie; the Campanian pizza rustica and the Italian American pizzagiena (Easter pie) are examples of this more general sense.

      Variations worldwide

      • In Scotland, a "pizza supper" commonly sold in fish and chip shops consists of a portion of fried chips (french fries) and a frozen pizza which has been deep fried rather than baked. This is often known as a "pizza crunch", and the pizza may also be coated in batter.
      • In Canada, the topping combination of back bacon, pepperoni and mushrooms is called 'Canadian Pizza' . In Quebec, the same topping combination is called a 'Québécois Pizza'. A pizza with mushrooms, pepperoni, and green bell pepper is referred to as "all-dressed". Also available in Canada are donair pizzas. These pizzas come with donair ingredients (cheese, spiced meat, sometimes onions and tomatoes) and have the tomato sauce replaced by donair sauce.
      • In Australia, a commonly sold style is the Aussie pizza, which is topped with ham, bacon, cheese and egg. "Hawaiian pizza" (ham and pineapple) is the most popular topping combination in Australia, accounting for 20 percent of all sales. In "barbecue pizza," barbecue sauce is poured on top of the cheese, with usually a meat such as chicken or beef. Bases are often offered in both thin or thick (pan), although pan is not nearly as thick as a Chicago pan pizza, being 2-3cm at most. There is no set style regarding a crispy or flexible base - it usually varies shop by shop or even by which chef is on shift in a particular shop. Starting in the mid 1990's a moderate number of gourmet pizza restaurants opened across the country, although the traditional individually owned pizzeria and the major chains (Pizza Hut and Domino's) still outnumber them by far. Most Australian pizzerias use gas or electric ovens although wood fired ovens have become a major feature of the more expensive 'gourmet' pizza restaurants mentioned above.
      • In Japan, pizza toppings may include corn, diced potatoes, scrambled eggs, mayonnaise, Camembert cheese, curry sauce, and various kinds of seafood. Tabasco sauce is often used as a condiment. Salad pizza, a pizza topped with tossed salad, is occasionally seen.cookpad.com (in Japanese), retrieved April 6, 2006 Another variation is rice pizza, substituting baked rice for the crust.e-recipe.org (in Japanese), retrieved April 6, 2006 The Japanese dish okonomiyaki is occasionally referred to in English as "Japanese pizza", although its ingredients, preparation method, and taste are substantially different from traditional pizza.
      • In South Korea, kimchi and bulgogi are used as toppings, as well as many of the toppings used in Japan. In addition, sweet potato puree in a circular ring near the edge of the crust is very popular.
      • In Hong Kong, Pizza Hut customers may choose to have their pizzas dressed with Thousand Island dressing instead of tomato sauce.
      • In Mexico, pizza is often enjoyed dipped in ketchup and/or hot sauce. Some pizzas include ingredients such as beans, beef, poblano pepper, jalapeño pepper, corn nibblets, chorizo, onion, etc.
      • In India, pizza toppings include vegetables and other traditional sauces or chunks of tandoori chicken or paneer (cottage cheese). Also Indians like to have a large quantity of toppings on their pizza.
      • In Iran, pizza is typically eaten with ketchup. The film Crimson Gold, the story of a disgruntled pizza deliveryman, confirmed to many international filmgoers the existence of pizza in Iran.
      • In Brazil, specially São Paulo city, pizzas are one of the most profitable items of Brazilian food industry. Among then are traditional Neapolitan style pizzas (brought by Italian immigrants) and sort of "new style" pizzas with chocolate and fruits, among other toppings. It is so important for the city economics that a Pizza Day (10 of July) was instituted, with Pizza Championship being one of the most important events of the day, showing new recipes. One of the products of such championship was the border filling with catupiry cheese.
      • In Sweden the Kebab pizza is a popular choice. It is usually topped with tomato sauce, cheese, kebab meat, mushrooms and onions. After being baked, green peppers and kebab sauce is added. The sauce is white (with or without garlic), red (more or less hot), or (most commonly) a mix of red and white. Another popular pick is the beef tenderloin with bearnaise sauce topping and it is often one of the most luxurious pizzas on the menu.
      • In Norway, pizza is typically frozen, and bought from the supermarket. The most popular frozen pizza is Grandiosa, and is the most eaten food at Christmas.
      • In Taiwan, pizza is typically made with ingredients as varied as peach slices and corn, beans, pears, and beef.
      • In the United Kingdom, pizza is most readily available in supermarkets as pre-packaged, frozen pizza, although is sometimes home-made. The three main topping variations are four cheese, ham and pineapple (hawaiian) and pepperoni.
      • In Ghana, pizza is widely available and is served at many restaurants.

      U.S. styles and specialties

      Due to the wide influence of Italian and Greek immigrants in American culture, the United States has developed quite a large number of regional forms of pizza, many bearing only a casual resemblance to the Italian original. During the latter half of the 20th century, pizza in the United States became an iconic dish of considerable popularity, and may have contributed to the decline of the British pie heritage previously common in American cuisine.

      • New York-style pizza is a style originally developed in New York City, where pizza is often sold in oversized, thin and flexible slices. It is traditionally hand-tossed and light on sauce, essentially amounting to a much larger version of the Neapolitan style. 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 and is very similar to the basic style common through the United States and known simply as pizza. Many pizza establishments in the New York metropolitan area offer two varieties of pizza: "Neapolitan", or "round", made with a relatively thin, circular crust and served in wedge-shaped slices, and "Sicilian", or "square", made with a thicker, rectangular crust and served in large, rectangular slices.
      • Chicago-style pizza, or deep dish pizza contains a crust which is formed up the sides of a deep dish pan. It reverses the order of ingredients, using crust, cheese, filling, then sauce on top. Some versions (usually referred to as "stuffed") 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.
      • St. Louis-style pizza is a distinct style of pizza popular in St. Louis, Missouri and its surrounding areas. It is also sometimes duplicated in other areas of the Midwest. The most notable characteristic of St. Louis-style pizza is the distinctively St. Louisan provel cheese used instead of (or rarely in addition to) the mozzarella common to other styles of pizza. The pizza has a thin, round crust, as opposed to Chicago's deep-dish style or New York's pan-style. The crust of a St. Louis pizza is somewhat crisp and cannot be folded easily, and is typically cut into three- or four-inch squares instead of the pie-like wedges typical of other pizza. It is often salty and seasoned with more oregano than other pizza types. Despite its thin crust, it can be layered deeply with many different toppings. Sauces tend to have a sweetness to them, some more noticeably than others. The two largest St. Louis-style Pizza chains are Imo's Pizza and Cecil Whittaker's Pizzeria.
      • California-style pizza (often termed in the United States gourmet pizza) refers to pizza with non-traditional ingredients, especially those that use a considerable amount of fresh produce.
      • Greek pizza is a variation popular in New England. It has a thicker, chewier 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.
      • Hawaiian pizza has Canadian bacon and pineapple toppings and is especially popular in the Western United States. Ham and pineapple is also a popular topping combination in Australia, but notably not in Hawaii. This type is also common within the EU as Pizza Hawaii.
      • Grilled pizza, invented in Providence, Rhode Island, uses a fairly thin crust cooked on a grill; the toppings are placed on the baked side after the pizza has cooked for a bit and flipped over.
      • English muffin or French bread pizza and pizza bagel is a common convenience pizza made at home in an oven or toaster, usually with a simple topping of spaghetti sauce, sliced or shredded cheese, and perhaps pepperoni. French bread pizza is sometimes available commercially as a frozen meal.

      Regional variations include

      • 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#adjective New Haven-style pizza is a white clam pie.
      • In Oneonta, New York, a specialty type of pizza served is known as "cold cheese pizza". It is basically an ordinary pie, or slice, but after being taken out of the oven, cold mozzerella cheese is piled on top of the hot cheese.
      • Long Island, New York is the birthplace of the "pizza bagel", which substitutes bread with a half sliced bagel, but otherwise has normal toppings and ingredients
      • In San Francisco, California, the Indian Pizza (see below) has become a source of pride. Sourdough crust pizza is the type most commonly associated with San Francisco, however.
      • In Baltimore, Maryland, pizza is traditionally served with a thick, doughy crust and a heavy amount of sauce.
      • In Colorado, a type of pizza, called mountain pie, is a regional favorite. Made popular by the originating restaurant, BeauJo's, it is piled high with toppings and kept from spilling over by a large, hand-rolled crust that is often dipped in honey for dessert.
      • In New Mexico, green chile is often used as a pizza topping, especially in combination with pepperoni or on supreme pizze. This is uncommon elsewhere.
      • 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. Buffalo-style pizza can also be found in communities where there is a large population of expatriate Buffalonians, like Charlotte, North Carolina.
      • In Utica, New York, 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 Dayton, Ohio, the local preference is for pizza with thin crust and a light sauce cut into small squares.
      • Youngstown, Ohio's "Brier Hill Pizza" features a thick sauce topped with a mixture of Parmesan and Romano cheese and green peppers. Brier Hill is the city's historically Italian area.
      • Rhode Island's strip pizza, commonly sold in bakeries, consists of thick, chewy dough and is topped with a very thick tomato sauce. It has a minimal amount of cheese and is served cold. It is usually (but not always) wrapped in individual strips (hence the name). This style also is sometimes called "bakery pizza." A similar product is made in bakeries in Italy.
      • Old Forge, Pennsylvania near Scranton is the self-styled "Pizza Capital of the World" because of its abundance of Italian restaurants specializing in pizza. The crust is thick, crisp, and airy. Depending on the maker, the dough may impart a flavor of beer, which is rumored to be an ingredient in some recipes. A special blend of cheeses besides traditional mozzarella is used, resulting in a less greasy texture and a smoother, sweeter taste. Old Forge Pizza is almost universally rectangular; a only rare few makers offer round pizza. Finally, whereas most other localities refer to it as "a pie" or simply "a pizza", it is ordered throughout northeastern Pennsylvania by the "tray" because of the simple plastic, school cafeteria-style trays on which restaurants serve it.
      • In Southern California, ranch dressing is a very popular condiment on pizza. Many pizzarias carry ranch dressing as a standard condiment for all customers readily available upon request.
      • In Memphis, Tennessee, barbeque pizza is quite popular due to the city's love of BBQ. It usually consists of either BBQ'd pork, chicken, or beef topped with cheddar cheese and barbeque sauce replaces the standard tomato sauce.

      Records

      • The largest pizza ever made was at the Norwood Pick 'n Pay Hypermarket in Johannesburg, South Africa. According to the Guinness Book of Records the pizza was 37.4m in diameter and was made using 4 500kg of flour, 1 800kg of cheese and 900kg of tomato puree. This feat was accomplished on the 8th of December 1990.
      • On 22 March 2001, Bernard Jordaan of Butler's Pizza, Cape Town, South Africa, delivered a pizza 11042km (6861 miles) from Cape Town to Sydney, Australia, to set the world record for the longest pizza delivery. This record was acknowledged in the Guinness Book of Records.

      See also

      External links

      Notes and references

      Pizza | Italian cuisine | Globalization

      Pizza | Pizza | Pizza | Pizza | Pico | پیتزا | Pizza | 피자 | Pizza | Pizza | Pizza | פיצה | Pizza | Pizza | ピザ | Pizza | Pizza | Pizza | Pizza | Pizza | Pizza | Пицца | Pizza | Pizza | Pica | Pizza | Pizza | Pizza | 比萨饼

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