Stop comparing pizza. Don’t do it. Unless it's the same type don’t even bother. Pizza is like wonder bread vs. artisan sourdough. If you wouldn’t compare the characteristics of that bouncy, white, soft, pillowy plush, melt in your mouth, wonder bread to the hard, crunchy, textural extravaganza, flavorful, sourdough; don’t compare pizza. Trying to compare a Neopolitan pizza to a New York Slice is like trying to play basketball with a football. One is a long ferment, fast cook, soft, aromatically yeasty pleasantry while the other can be cooked longer, fermented shorter, no flavor from the flour but a basketful of cheese and sauce to make it beautifully delicious.
I think pizza is one of the most interesting foods out there because we all have Nostalgia for it and we all have a longing for it, but it's one of the most personal things we can talk about in regards to nostalgia. Let’s focus on the main kinds of pizza; New York vs. Detroit vs. Chicago vs. Neapolitan/ West Coast. We need to make sure that we understand the personal touch behind each dough. Each person, in each city, makes pizza a little different. It’s best to support these independent places rather than the robot mastered yet consistent pizza chains across the U.S.
Let’s start with Detroit, since that gets the least amount of attention across the nation. This pizza is a derivative of Sicilian style. Detroit has a pretty fascinating story that starts in an auto manufacturing plant. What’s the difference between Detroit and the rest? Well in Detroit it has to do with what the pizza is cooked in. The original Detroit style pizza pans came from an auto plant that used the pans for spare parts. The pans are seasoned like cast iron creating a ridiculous crust around the curves of the pie. The pizza is cooked and topped with cheese first then tomato over the top of whatever toppings you may have. This creates an unusual mouthfeel of plushiness combined with crustiness. Detroit seems like the pizza destined to have a breakout throughout the country in the years to come. Out of all the pizza snob cities in America, Detroit seems to mean business and not boastiness.
In Chicago immigrants in the mid 20th century wanted to create an American version of their beloved Neapolitan style pizza. Pizzeria Uno was the first pizzeria to create the deep dish. In Chicago it seems like a war of tradition. Pizzeria Uno vs. Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria vs. Gino’s vs. Pequod’s vs. Giordanos. These places have strived their whole business lives to keep tradition alive and keep customers coming back for life.
In recent days I’ve been informed by Chicagoans that you don’t talk shit about deep dish. People don’t eat it all the time, it's a classic but not something consumed like we think. Bad deep dish is baddd. But, a good deep dish (which I still need to get) is a memory of a lifetime. People judge chicago (myself) because it’s not what we grew up with which isn’t fair. If you’re from Chicago reading this, change my mind and make me believe in what you all love so much and tell me where to go and what to order.
I thought Chicago was complicated and then New York came rolling in with the first pizza shop in America. For a complete guide to all the pizza styles in New York go here. New york is undoubtedly known for pizza in general but trying to compare the quality of a 1 dollar slice versus a 3 dollar slice seems strange. Trying to figure out which Rays is best out of the 50 different Rays seems absurd. I’m glad that pizza originated out of New York but I’m not sure about the mass quantity produced there now. It seems over-saturated and impossible to know what you’re getting into.
Finally “California Neapolitan Style'' is really having its moment. People are making pizza with the utmost respect to the laws of pizza making originating in Naples, while also using California’s bounty of beautiful produce. It's a remarkable slice of pizza but is supremely different from the rest of the pizza talked about here today. This pizza is rooted in tradition and upholding standards. But, Californians have approached with a sense of deliciousness and sustainability. Buying produce from the farmers market just to put on Pizza; that doesn’t happen everywhere. Does that make it the best? Probably not, but it is creating a whole new generation of Nostalgia for people growing up today. People having nostalgia for a squash and goat cheese pizza is very foreign to me but the evolution of where pizza is going is very exciting. This creates a vessel for eating some of the most in season, delicious vegetables available to you while still retaining all of the taste essentials for pizza.
Next time you think about judging someone for their pizza preference ask them or yourself why they like pizza in the first place. It will be enticing to see what their answers are. Why do we actually love the pizza we do ?
When I taste pizza I think of a lot of different nostalgic moments that arise but what comes to mind first is I Love Pizza of Troy, NY. Their motto is simple, “We do it simple, we do it well”. That’s what I think of when I want good pizza. Don’t overcomplicate it. Put pizza in the oven with some sauce, some cheese, and a COUPLE toppings. Don’t go crazy with the toppings please. I get transported to the most crime heavy street of my upbringing, going inside, getting to pick out what 2 Liter soda I wanted, taking the pizza, brining it back to the car, and getting yelled at to make sure the pizza doesn't slide by my parents or siblings. Getting home, turning on Seinfeld, and laughing and eating pizza. There’s not many things better than these memories. Nostalgia at its finest. Next time you bite into a pie, remember where you were the first time you ever did.
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