Difference between revisions of "Pizza"

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[[Image:Eq_it-na_pizza-margherita_sep2005_sml.jpg|thumb|330px|A ''Pizza Margherita'' made in [[Naples, Italy|Naples]] (Napoli), [[Italy]].]]
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{{pizza}}
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'''Pizza''' (ˈpiːtsə), in [[Italian language|Italian]]: {{IPA|['pit.tsa]}} - from the [[Latin]] verb '''pìnsere''', ''to press'') is a world-popular dish of [[Italy|Italian]] origin, made with an [[oven]]-baked, flat, generally round [[bread]] that is often covered with [[tomato]]es or a tomato-based sauce and [[mozzarella]] cheese.  Other toppings are added according to region, culture, or personal preference.
  
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In its original form, a '''pizza''' (occasionally, ''pizza pie'') is an [[oven]]-baked, flat, usually circular [[bread]] covered with [[tomato sauce]] and [[cheese]] with optional toppings. The cheese is usually [[mozzarella]] or sometimes a mixture of several specialty cheeses such as parmesan, romano, ricotta and feta. Various other toppings may be added, most typically:
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Originating as a part of [[Italian cuisine]], the dish has become popular in many different parts of the world. A shop or restaurant where pizzas are made and sold is called a “pizzeria”. The phrases “pizza parlor,” "pizza place" and "pizza shop" are used in the United States. The term ''pizza pie'' is [[dialect]]al, and ''pie'' is used for simplicity in some contexts, such as among pizzeria staff.
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*[[herb]]s and seasonings such as [[basil]], [[oregano]], and [[garlic]]
 
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*[[vegetable]]s such as [[bell pepper]]s, [[green peppers]], [[asparagus]], [[eggplant]], [[broccoli]], [[spinach]], [[olive]]s, [[onion]]s
 
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*[[meat]], [[seafood]] or fish products, [[sausage]], (especially [[pepperoni]] or [[salami]]), [[Ham (meat)|ham]], [[bacon]], [[ground beef]], [[anchovy|anchovies]], [[pineapple]], and [[shrimp]]
 
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*[[mushroom]]s
 
  
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The crust is traditionally plain, but may also be seasoned with [[butter]], [[garlic]], or [[herb]]s, or stuffed with cheese. In some pizza recipes (so-called "white pizzas") the tomato sauce is omitted, or replaced with another sauce (e.g. sauces made with spinach or onions). Pizza is normally eaten hot (typically at [[lunch]] or [[dinner]]), but leftovers are often eaten cold.
 
  
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The word "''pizza''" is from the [[Italian language|Italian]] word ''pizza'' ({{IPA2|pittsa}}), with plural form ''pizze'' ({{IPA2|pit:tse}}). The term was originally used to refer to a range of dough-based dishes, and is thought to be derived from ''pinza'' ← [[Latin language|Latin]] ''pincere'' "to mash up".[http://www.etimo.it/?term=pizza] [http://www.pizza.it/curiosita/etimol.html].
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==History==
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''Main article'' [[History of pizza]]
  
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A restaurant which serves pizza is called a '''pizzeria''' (from [[Italian language|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 [[telephone|phone]] (or, increasingly, via the [[World Wide Web|Web]]) to be delivered, hot and ready to eat, to almost any address within range of the restaurant.
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==Base and baking methods==
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The bottom base of the pizza (called the “crust” in the United States and Canada) may vary widely according to style thin as in hand-tossed pizza or Roman pizza, thick as in pan pizza or [[Chicago-style pizza]]. It is traditionally plain, but may also be seasoned with [[butter]], [[garlic]], or [[herb]]s, or stuffed with cheese.
  
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== History ==
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In restaurants, pizza can be baked in an oven with stone bricks above the heat source, an electric deck oven, a [[conveyor belt]] oven or, in the case of more expensive restaurants, a wood- or coal-fired [[masonry oven|brick oven]]. On deck ovens, the pizza can be slid into the oven on a long paddle called a [[peel (tool)|peel]] and baked directly on the hot bricks or baked on a screen (a round metal grate, typically aluminum). 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.
  
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The history of food items which may have served as the roots of modern pizza can be traced to the Greek colonies of [[Magna Graecia]] (southern Italy). Such products arguably have their first written mention in Book VII of [[Virgil]]'s ''[[Aeneid]]'': 
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===Pizza types===
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[[Image:Eq it-na pizza-margherita sep2005 sml.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Authentic Neapolitan pizza margherita, the base for most kinds of pizza]]
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[[Image:Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Marinara.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Neapolitan pizza marinara]]
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'''Neapolitan pizza (''pizza napoletana'')''': Authentic Neapolitan pizzas are made with local ingredients like [[San Marzano tomato]]es, which grow on the volcanic plains to the south of [[Mount Vesuvius]], and [[Mozzarella di Bufala Campana]], made with the milk from [[Domestic buffalo|water buffalo]] raised in the marshlands of [[Campania]] and [[Lazio]] in a semi-wild state (this mozzarella is protected with its own European [[protected designation of origin]]). According to the rules proposed by the [http://www.verapizzanapoletana.org/vpn/vpn_frames-index.htm ''Associazione vera pizza napoletana''], the genuine Neapolitan pizza dough consists of Italian wheat [[flour]] (type ''0'' or ''00'', or a mixture of both), natural Neapolitan [[yeast]] or [[brewer's yeast|brewer’s yeast]], salt and water. For proper results, strong flour with [[Protein|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 [[Machine|mechanical device]], and may be no more than 3 mm (¹⁄₈ in) thick. The pizza must be baked for 60–90 [[second]]s in a 485C stone oven with an oak-wood fire. When cooked, it should be crispy, tender and fragrant. Neapolitan pizza has been given the status of a “guaranteed traditional specialty” in Italy. This allows only three official variants: '''pizza marinara''', which is made with tomato, garlic, oregano and [[olive oil#Retail grades in IOOC member nations|extra virgin olive oil]] (although most Neapolitan pizzerias also add [[basil]] to the marinara), '''pizza [[Margherita of Savoy|Margherita]]''', made with tomato, sliced [[mozzarella]], [[basil]] and extra-virgin olive oil, and '''pizza Margherita extra''' made with tomato, [[Bubalus|buffalo]] mozzarella from [[Campania]] in fillets, basil and extra virgin olive oil.
  
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:''Their homely fare dispatch’d, the hungry band''
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[[Image:Pizza al taglio.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Pizza al taglio in Rome]]
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:''Invade their trenchers next, and soon devour,''
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'''Lazio style''': Pizza in [[Lazio]] ([[Rome]]), as well as in many other parts of [[Italy]] is available in two different styles: (1) Take-away shops sell ''pizza rustica'' or ''[[pizza al taglio]]''. This pizza is cooked in long, rectangular baking pans and relatively thick (1–2 cm). The crust is similar to that of an [[English muffin]], and the pizza is often cooked in an electric oven. It is usually cut with scissors or a knife and sold by weight. (2) In pizza restaurants (pizzerias), pizza is served in a dish in its traditional round shape. It has a thin, crisp base quite different to the thicker and softer Neapolitan style base. It is usually cooked in a [[wood-fired oven]], giving the pizza its unique flavor and texture. 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'').
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:''To mend the scanty meal, their cakes of flour.''
 
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:''Ascanius this observ’d, and smiling said:''
 
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:''“See, we devour the plates on which we fed.”''
 
  
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In the [[3rd century BCE]], the first history of [[Rome]], written by [[Marcus Porcius Cato]], mentions a "flat round of dough dressed with olive oil, herbs, and honey baked on stones". Further evidence is found in [[Pompeii]], the city "frozen in time" since [[79]] [[Common Era|CE]], where archaeologists have excavated shops that closely resemble modern pizzerias.
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Other types of Lazio-style pizza include:
  
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Though several kinds of flat bread made with flour, often cooked with oil and spices, were familiar to ancient Romans and popular in all the Mediterranean area, they were considerably different from pizza as it is known today. The [[tomato]] was still unknown in Europe and the Indian [[water buffalo]], whose milk is used to make the real mozzarella cheese, had not yet been imported to Campania, the area around Napoli (Naples). The crust of pizza is very similar to [[focaccia]] bread common in Italian cuisine today.
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*'''Pizza romana''' (in [[Naples]]): tomato, mozzarella, [[anchovy|anchovies]], oregano, oil;
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*'''Pizza [[viennese]]''': tomato, mozzarella, German [[sausage]], oregano, oil;
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*'''Pizza capricciosa''' (“capricious pizza”): mozzarella, tomato, mushrooms, [[artichoke]]s, cooked [[ham]], [[olives]], oil (in [[Rome]], [[prosciutto]] raw ham is used and half a [[Boiled eggs|hard-boiled egg]] is added);
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*'''Pizza quattro stagioni''' (“four seasons pizza”): same ingredients for the capricciosa, but ingredients not mixed;
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*'''Pizza quattro formaggi''' (“four cheese pizza”): tomatoes, mozzarella, [[stracchino]], [[fontina]], [[gorgonzola (cheese)|gorgonzola]] (sometimes [[ricotta]] can be swapped for one of the last three);
  
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The [[tomato]] was first believed to be poisonous (as some other fruits of the [[nightshade]] family are), when it came to [[Europe]] in the [[16th century]].  However, by the late [[18th century]] even the poor of the area around Naples added it as an ingredient to their yeast-based flat bread, and the dish gained in popularity. Pizza became a tourist attraction, and visitors to Naples ventured into the poorer areas of the city to try the local specialty. 
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'''[[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|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;
  
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The first dynasties of Neapolitan pizza makers (Italian: ''pizzaioli'') originate in these years: modern pizza is attributed to baker Raffaele Esposito of Naples in the Italian region of Campania. In 1889 Esposito, who worked in the pizzeria "Pietro... e basta così" (literally "Peter... and that's enough", established in [[1780]] and still in activity; now called "Pizzeria Brandi") baked a special pizza for the visit of the King [[Umberto I of Italy|Umberto I]] and [[Princess_Margrethe_of_Savoy|Queen Margherita of Savoy]]. The pizza was very patriotic in its evocation of the Italian flag with its colors of green ([[basil]] leaves), white ([[mozzarella]]), and red ([[tomato|tomatoes]]), and was named Pizza Margherita in honor of the Queen. This set the standard by which today's pizza evolved and spread worldwide.
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'''White pizza''' (''pizza bianca'') uses no tomato sauce, often substituting [[pesto]] or [[dairy]] products such as [[sour cream]]. Most commonly, especially on the [[East coast of the United States|east coast]] of the [[United States]], the toppings consist only of [[mozzarella]] and [[ricotta cheese]] drizzled with [[olive oil]] and spices like fresh [[basil]] and [[garlic]]. In Rome, the term ''pizza bianca'' refers to a type of bread topped with olive oil, salt and, occasionally, [[rosemary]] leaves. It’s also a Roman style to top the white pizza with [[fig]]s, the result called ''pizza e fichi'' (pizza with figs);
  
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Until about 1830, pizza was sold from open-air stands and street vendors out of pizza bakeries. The world's first true pizzeria, Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba, opened in Naples in that period.  
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'''Ripieno''' or '''calzone''' is a pizza in the form of a half moon, sometimes filled with ricotta, salami and mozzarella; it can be either fried or oven baked.
  
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Pizza met the aristocratic taste (the King of [[Naples]] Ferdinando II of Borbone greatly enjoyed the pizza made by 'Ntuono Testa at Salita S. Teresa) and an even more decided popular favour, establishing itself as a daily course, dinner and supper of the Neapolitans.  
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==Non-Italian types of pizza==
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In the 20th century and onward, pizza has become an international food and the toppings may vary considerably in accordance with local tastes. These pizzas consist of the same basic design but include an exceptionally diverse choice of ingredients.
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===United States styles and specialties=== <!-- this section needs further re-org -->
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[[Image:Pizza 1 bg 032204.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Home-made pepperoni pizza]]
  
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An Italian immigrant to the US in [[1897]] named [[Gennaro Lombardi]] opened a small grocery store in [[New York City|New York]]'s [[Little Italy, Manhattan|Little Italy]]. An employee of his, Antonio Totonno Pero (also an Italian immigrant) began making pizza for the store to sell.  Their pizza became so popular, Lombardi opened the first US pizzeria in [[1905]] at 53 1/3 Spring Street, naming it simply Lombardi's. The price for an entire pizza was 5 cents, but since many people couldn't afford the cost of a whole pie, they could rather say how much they could pay and they were given a slice corresponding to the amount offered (not unlike how pizza is often sold today). It was closed in [[1984]] and then reopened in [[1994]] a block down, at 32 Spring Street. On November 10, [[2005]], Lombardi's celebrated its 100th anniversary by selling pizzas at the [[1905]] price, 5 cents, for the whole day.
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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. The thickness of the crust depends on what the consumer prefers; both thick and thin crust are popular.  Often, "Americanized" foods such as barbecued chicken and bacon cheeseburgers are used to create new types of pizza. [[Mexican pizza]], or taco pizza, is also popular in the U.S., popularized by the [[Taco Bell]] chain.
  
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In [[1924]], Totonno left Lombardi's to open his own pizzeria on [[Coney Island]] called Totonno's. [[Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana]] opened in [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]] in [[1925]]. [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]] was introduced to pizza in [[1926]] by Anthony Polcari when he opened Pizzeria Regina in Boston's North End. The D'Amore family brought pizza to [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] in [[1939]]. At this point in time in the U.S., pizza consumption was still limited mostly to Italian immigrants.
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====Ingredients====
  
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The international breakthrough came after [[World War II]]. Allied troops occupying Italy, weary of their rations, were constantly on the lookout for good food. They discovered the pizzerias, and local bakers were hard pressed to satisfy the demand from the soldiers.  The American troops involved in the Italian campaign took their appreciation for the dish back home.
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[[Image:Homemadepizza.JPG|thumb|right|200px|A home-made pizza exhibiting a plethora of toppings common to American pizzas]]
  
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With its rising popularity in the [[1950s]], especially in the US, pizza became a component of the growing [[Restaurant chain|chain-restaurant industry]].  Some leading early pizza chains were [[Shakey's Pizza]] (inventor of the term ''pizza parlor''; formerly, the term ''pizzeria'' was preferred) and [[Pizza Hut]], both founded in 1954, in [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]] and [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]], respectively. Some later entrants to the dine-in pizza market were [[Happy Joe's]], [[California Pizza Kitchen]], and [[Round Table (restaurant)|Round Table Pizza]]. Today, the American pizza business is dominated by companies that specialize in [[pizza delivery|home delivery]], including [[Domino's Pizza|Domino's]], [[Little Caesar's]], and [[Papa John's Pizza|Papa John's]].  Even Pizza Hut has shifted its emphasis away from pizza parlors and toward home delivery.  These national pizza chains often coexist with locally-owned pizza restaurants.  
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American pizza often has [[vegetable oil]] or shortening (often, but not always, [[olive oil]]) mixed into the dough; this is not as common in Italian recipes (for example, the pizza dough recipe in the influential Italian cookbook ''[[Il cucchiaio d'argento]]'' does not use oil). This can range from a small amount in relatively lean doughs, such as New York style, to a very large amount in some recipes for [[Chicago style|Chicago-style]] deep-dish dough. In addition, American pizza (at least thin-crust) is often made with a very high-[[gluten]] flour (often 13–14% protein content) of the type also used to make [[bagel]]s; this type of flour allows the dough to be stretched rather thinly without tearing, similar to [[strudel]] or [[phyllo]] dough.
  
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Pizza is also found in [[supermarkets]] as a [[frozen food]]. Considerable amounts of [[food technology]] ingenuity has gone into the creation of palatable frozen pizzas.  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.  Lately, frozen pizzas with completely raw ingredients have also begun to appear.
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Various toppings may be added, most typically:
  
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==Types of pizza==
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*[[Tomato sauce]] usually replaces the tomato mixture used on Italian-style pizzas, and is usually a fairly heavily seasoned, smooth sauce with a low water content. On some variants without tomatoes, [[pesto]], [[Fettuccine alfredo|alfredo]] and [[barbecue sauce]] are also used.
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[[Image:Supreme pizza.jpg|thumb|250px|A "supreme" pizza such as this one includes many different toppings, such as pepperoni (one of the most popular pizza toppings), green peppers, olives, and mushrooms.]]
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*[[Cheese]], usually [[mozzarella]] but also [[provolone]], [[Cheddar cheese|cheddar]], [[parmesan]], [[feta]], or a blend of other cheeses.
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[[Image:Pizzapizza.jpg|thumb|250px|North American take-away pizza.]]
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*[[Fruit]]s and [[vegetable]]s such as [[garlic]], [[Globe artichoke|artichoke hearts]], [[eggplant]], [[olive (fruit)|olives]], [[Caper|capers]], [[onion]]s, [[spinach]], [[tomato]]es, [[bell pepper]]s, [[Chile pepper|green chili peppers]], [[jalapeño]]s, [[banana pepper]]s and [[pineapple]].
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In recent years, 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 [[anchovy|anchovies]], [[egg (food)|egg]], [[pineapple]], [[grilled lamb]], [[coconut]], [[sauerkraut]], [[eggplant]], [[lamb]], [[couscous]], [[chicken]], [[fish]], and [[shellfish]], meats done in ethnic styles such as [[Moroccan cuisine|Moroccan]] [[lamb]], [[kebab]] or even [[chicken tikka masala]], and non-traditional spices such as [[curry]] and [[Cuisine of Thailand|Thai sweet chili]].  Pizzas can also be made without meat for [[vegetarian]]s, and without cheese for [[vegan]]s. [[Breakfast]] pizzas are topped with ingredients such as [[scrambled eggs]]. "Supreme" pizzas typically include a thick layer of many different toppings.
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*Fungi, usually [[Edible mushroom|Mushrooms]] and rarely truffles.
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*[[Meat]], such as [[sausage]] ([[pepperoni]], [[salami]] or [[Italian sausage]]), [[Ham (meat)|ham]], [[bacon]], [[ground beef]], and [[chicken]].
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*[[Seafood]] such as [[anchovy|anchovies]], [[tuna]], [[salmon]] and [[shrimp]].
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*[[Herb]]s and [[Spice|spices]] such as [[basil]], [[oregano]] and [[black pepper]].
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*[[Nut (fruit)|Nuts]] such as [[Cashew|cashews]], [[Pistachio|pistachios]] and [[Pine nut|pine nuts]].
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*[[Oils#Food_oils|Oils]] such as [[olive oil]], [[walnut oil]] and [[truffle oil]].
  
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===Pizza styles===
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In some pizza recipes the tomato sauce is omitted (termed “white pizza”), or replaced with another sauce (usually garlic butter, but sauces can also be made with spinach or onions). In the Philadelphia area there are also tomato pies—sauce only, or sauce with ripe Roma tomatoes and spices but no cheese—and upside-down pizzas, i.e., the cheese on the bottom and topped with sauce. Pizza is normally eaten hot (typically at [[lunch]] or [[dinner]]), but is sometimes eaten as cold leftovers for breakfast.
  
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* '''Italian pizzas:'''
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====Variations====
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** '''Neapolitan pizza (''pizza Napoletana'')'''. According to the rules proposed by the [http://www.verapizzanapoletana.org/vpn/vpn_frames-index.htm ''Associazione vera pizza napoletana''] and other sources quoted by the BBC [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3753575.stm], and the legal EU document with the ''Vera Pizza Napoletana Specification'' [http://www.fornobravo.com/vera_pizza_napoletana/VPN_spec.html 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 an approved mixer that moves in a [[Clockwise and counterclockwise|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 other mechanical device, and may be no more than 3 [[millimeter|mm]] (1/8 [[inch|in]]) thick.  The pizza must be baked for 60–90 [[second]]s 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:
 
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***'''Pizza marinara''': with tomato, garlic, oregano and oil;
 
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***'''Pizza Margherita''': tomato, mozzarella in listels, basil and oil;
 
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***'''Pizza Margherita Extra''': tomato, [[Bubalus|buffalo]] mozzarella from [[Campania]] in listels, basil and oil.
 
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** '''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]].   
 
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** '''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 thin (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"). Strange enough, there is no such "Pizza Napoletana" [[in Naples]] and no "Pizza Romana" in [[Rome]].
 
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**'''Pizza Romana''' (in [[Naples]]): tomato, mozzarella, anchovies, oregano, oil;
 
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**'''Pizza Viennese''': tomato, mozzarella, German [[sausage]], oregano, oil;
 
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**'''Pizza with Ham and Mushrooms''': tomato, mozzarella, [[ham]], [[mushroom]]s;
 
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**'''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 ;
 
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**'''Pizza Quattro Stagioni''' ("Four Seasons Pizza"): same ingredients for the Capricciosa, but ingredients not mixed;
 
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**'''Four Cheeses Pizza''': tomato, mozzarella, other cheeses;
 
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**'''[[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 rectangular share 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.
 
  
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* '''American pizzas:'''
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'''[[New York-style pizza]]''' is a style originally developed in [[New York City]] by immigrants from Naples, where pizza was created. It is often sold in generously sized, thin and flexible slices. It is traditionally hand-tossed, moderate on sauce, and moderately covered with cheese essentially amounting to a much larger version of the Neapolitan style. The slices are sometimes eaten folded in half, or even stacked, 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 “regular”, made with a relatively thin, circular crust and served in wedge-shaped slices, and “[[Sicily|Sicilian]]”, or “square”, made with a thicker, rectangular crust and served in large, rectangular slices. Another type of pizza, more popular on Long Island but can be found, albeit rarely, in Queens and Manhattan is Grandma pizza. It is cooked in a square pan like Sicilian, but it is much thinner. It has a thin, crispy crust, usually has tomato chunks in addition, or in exception, to the sauce. Generally, it will contain less cheese than regular slices, and sometimes has extra spices or oils baked into the crust.
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** '''[[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. 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 "regular", made with a relatively thin, circular crust and served in wedge-shaped slices, and "Sicilian", made with a thicker, rectangular crust and served in large, rectangular slices.
 
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**'''[[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 [[Uno Chicago Grill|Pizzeria Uno]], which is still operating along with its twin restaurant, Pizzeria Due, in the [[Near North Side, Chicago#River North|River North neighborhood]].
 
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**'''[[St. Louis-style pizza]]''' is a distinct style of pizza popular in [[Saint 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]].
 
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** '''[[California-style pizza]]''' (often termed in the United States '''gourmet pizza''') refers to pizzas with non-traditional ingredients, especially those that use a considerable amount of fresh produce.
 
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** '''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.
 
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**'''[[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. 
 
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**'''[[Hawaiian pizza]]''' has [[Canadian bacon]] and [[pineapple]] toppings and is especially popular in the Western United States.  A style referred to as "The Perfect Pizza" consists of Hawaiian-style on one half and pepperoni on the other.  Ham and pineapple is also a popular topping combination in Australia although, notably, not in [[Hawaii]], this type is also common within the EU as Pizza Hawaii.
 
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**'''[[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.
 
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**'''Pizza Puffs''' are [[dough]] pouches, usually [[deep fried]], filled with the ingredients of a pizza, such as [[cheese]], [[pizza sauce]], [[sausage]], and [[pepperoni]].
 
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**'''[[English muffin]]''' or '''[[French bread]] pizza''' are common [[convenience cooking|convenience]] pizzas made at home in an oven or toaster, usually with a simple topping of spaghetti sauce, sliced cheese, and perhaps pepperoni. French bread pizza is sometimes available commercially.
 
−
* '''Similar dishes''':
 
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** The [[Alsace|Alsacian]] '''[[tarte flambée]]''' (German: '''Flammekueche''') is a thin disc of dough covered in [[crème fraîche]], onions, and bacon.
 
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** The [[Anatolia]]n '''[[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.
 
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** The [[Provençal]] [[pissaladiere]] is similar to an Italian pizza, with a slightly thicker crust and generally a topping of cooked onions, [[anchovy|anchovies]], and olives.
 
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[[Image:Pepperoni pizza.jpg|250px|thumb|Pizza with pepperoni.]]
 
  
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=== Regional specialties ===
+
[[Image:whiteclampie.jpg|thumb|200px| White clam pie from [[Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana|Pepe’s]] in [[New Haven, Connecticut]]]]
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*[[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
 
−
 
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*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 [[wiktionary:canonical#adjective|canonical]] New Haven-style pizza is a white [[clam]] pie.
 
  
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*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.
+
'''[[New Haven-style pizza]]''', also known as apizza, popular in southern Connecticut. It has a thin crust that varies between chewy and tender, depending on the particular establishment. The default version is a “white” pizza topped with only garlic and hard cheeses; customers who want tomato sauce or mozzarella cheese have to ask for them explicitly. Apizza has a very dark, “scorched” crisp crust that offers a distinctive bitter flavor, which can be offset by the sweetness of tomatoes or other toppings.
  
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*In [[Baltimore, Maryland]], pizza is traditionally served with a thick, doughy crust and a heavy amount of sauce.  
+
'''[[Greek pizza]]''' is a variation popular in [[New England]]; its name comes from it being typical of the style of pizzerias owned by Greek immigrants. 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, as well as being liberally used to grease the pans and crisp the crust. Variations in other parts of the country include using [[feta cheese]], [[Kalamata]] olives, and Greek herbs such as [[oregano]].
  
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*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 can also be used as an in-pie dessert.
+
[[Image:Flickr lwy 519593532--Chicago-style pizza.jpg|thumb|200px|Chicago-style deep-dish pizza]]
  
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*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.
+
'''[[Chicago-style pizza]]''', or '''Chicago-style deep-dish pizza''', contains a crust which is formed up the sides of a deep-dish pan. It reverses the order of some 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. The invention of deep-dish pizza occurred in America and transcends a single ethnic origin. Deep-dish pizza was invented by Ike Sewell and Ric Riccardo and first served in 1943 at [[Uno Chicago Grill|Pizzeria Uno]], which is still operating along with its twin restaurant, Pizzeria Due, in the [[Near North Side, Chicago#River North|River North neighborhood]].
  
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*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.  
+
'''[[Chicago-style pizza#Thin-crust pizza|Chicago-style thin-crust pizza]]''' has a thinner crust than Chicago-style [[Deep Dish|deep dish]], and is baked flat rather than in a deep dish pan. The crust is thin and firm enough to have a noticeable crunch, unlike a New York-style pizza, yet thick enough to be soft and doughy on the top. The crust is invariably topped with a liberal quantity of southern-Italian style tomato sauce, which is usually quite herbal or highly spiced, and typically contains no visible chunks of tomato. Next, a layer of toppings is added, and a layer of mozzarella cheese which frequently separates from the bottom crust due to the quantity of tomato sauce. Chicago-style thin crust pizzas are cut into three-to-four-inch (8–10 cm) squares, also known as “party cut”, as opposed to a “pie cut” into wedges. The small size of the squares makes it unnecessary to fold the slices. Chicago-style pizza is prevalent throughout the [[Midwestern United States|Midwestern US]].  In fact, most of the neighborhood pizza parlors in Chicago and the rest of the Midwest serve Chicago-style thin crust, not deep dish as is commonly assumed. Chains that are well known for Chicago-style thin-crust pizza are [[Aurelio's Pizza]], [[Home Run Inn]] and [[Rosati's Pizza]].
  
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*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]]
+
'''[[St. Louis-style pizza]]''' is a thin crust variant that is popular in and around [[St. Louis, Missouri]]. 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 Chicago-style thin crust.  The toppings usually consist of fresh, never frozen, ingredients sliced instead of diced.  It is common for the pizza to be topped with large pieces of onion, round slices of bell pepper, and full strips of bacon.  If ordered with sausage or hamburger, the meat is squeezed off by hand into marble-sized chunks.  The crust is thin enough that it becomes very crunchy in the oven and is sometimes compared to a cracker.  Even though the crust is round, it is always cut into small squares.
  
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*In [[Dayton, Ohio]], the local preference is for pizza with thin crust and a light sauce cut into small squares.  
+
'''[[California-style pizza]]''' refers to pizza with non-traditional ingredients, especially those that use a considerable amount of fresh produce. A [[Thailand|Thai]]-inspired [[chicken]] pizza with [[peanut sauce]], bean sprouts, and shaved carrots is a popular variant in California-style pizza restaurants, as are pizzas that use chicken and [[barbecue sauce]] as toppings. The style was invented by [[Chez Panisse]] restaurant in [[Berkeley, California]], and popularized by the [[California Pizza Kitchen]] chain, along with [[Wolfgang Puck|Wolfgang Puck’s]] various [[fine dining]] and casual [[Chain store|restaurant chains]] and retail products.
  
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*[[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.  
+
'''[[Hawaiian pizza]]''' has “[[Canada|Canadian]] [[bacon]]” (or sliced ham) and [[pineapple]] toppings with Mozzarella cheese. This type of pizza is especially popular in the [[western United States]], and is also a popular topping combination in [[Australia]], [[Canada]], and [[Sweden]], but notably not in [[Hawaii]]. This type is also common within the [[European Union|EU]], where it is known as ''pizza Hawaii''.
  
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*[[Rhode Island]]'s ''[[pizza strips|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.  
+
'''[[Taco]] pizza''' has ingredients usually associated with tacos, such as; [[lettuce]], shredded beef or [[hamburger]], chopped tomatoes, [[avocados]], [[corn chips]], [[cheddar cheese]], [[sour cream]] and taco sauce.
  
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*In [[Scotland]], a "pizza supper" commonly sold in [[fish and chips|fish and chip]] shops consists of a portion of fried chips ([[french fries]]) and a frozen pizza which has been [[Deep frying|deep fried]] rather than baked.  
+
'''[[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 been flipped over.
  
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*In [[Canada]], the topping combination of [[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.
+
'''[[English muffin]]''' and '''[[French bread]] pizza''' and '''[[pizza bagel]]s''' are common [[convenience cooking|convenience]] pizzas made at home in an oven or toaster, usually with a simple topping of [[tomato sauce]], sliced or shredded cheese, and perhaps [[pepperoni]]. French bread pizza is sometimes available commercially as a frozen meal.
  
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*In [[Australia]], a commonly sold style is the [[Aussie]] pizza, which is topped with [[ham]], bacon, cheese and [[egg (food)|egg]]. "Hawaiian pizza" (see above) 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.
+
===Pizza in Brazil===
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Pizza is a very popular dish in [[Brazil]], brought by Italian immigrants to that country. The best pizzerie are found in [[Sao Paulo]], a city that calls itself 'The Pizza Capital of the World', hosting more than 6000 pizza establishments and where more than 1.4 million pizzas are consumed every day. It is said that the first Brazilian pizzas were baked in the Bras district of Sao Paulo in the early part of the 20th century.  
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*In [[Japan]], pizza toppings may include [[sweetcorn|corn]], diced [[potato]]es, [[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. [http://cookpad.com/recipe.cfm?RID=222877] Another variation is ''rice pizza'', substituting baked [[rice]] for the crust. [http://www.e-recipe.org/kantan/0309/0228.html]  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.  
+
Until the 1950s, they were only found in the
 +
Italian communities. Since then, pizza became increasingly popular with the rest of the population. The most traditional pizzeria are still found in the Italian neighborhoods, such as the Bexiga/Bela Vista. Many say that the Brazilian pizza is the best outside Italy. Typically, pizzas follow the Neapolitan variety, rather than the Roman one, being thicker and
 +
more doughy.
  
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*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.  
+
===Pizza in Australia===
 +
Pizza is popular in [[Australia]], where a significant percentage of the population is of Italian descent. The usual Italian varieties are available, but there is also the ''Australian'', or ''australiana'', which has the usual tomato sauce base and mozzarella cheese with bacon and egg (seen as quintessentially Australian breakfast fare). [[Prawns]] are also sometimes used on this style of pizza.
  
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*In [[Hong Kong]], [[Pizza Hut]] customers may choose to have their pizzas dressed with [[Thousand Island dressing]] instead of tomato sauce.
+
In the 1980s Australian pizza shops and restaurants began selling '''gourmet pizzas''', essentially pizzas with upmarket ingredients such as salmon, dill, [[bocconcini]], tiger prawns, and even such outré toppings as kangaroo, emu and crocodile meats. '''Wood-fired pizzas''', cooked in an impressive-looking ceramic oven heated by [[wood fuel]], are also popular.
  
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*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.
+
===Pizza in India===
 +
Pizza is a fast emerging fast food in Indian urban areas. With the arrival of pizza brands like [[Pizza Hut]], [[Domino's]] and [[Smoking Joe's]] etc, Pizza has reached to many cities in [[India]]. Pizza is becoming extremely popular among youth in India.  
  
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*In [[India]], pizza toppings include vegetables and other traditional sauces or chunks of [[tandoori chicken]].
+
Pizza outlets serve pizzas with several Indian based toppings like Tandoori Chicken and inclusion of Cottage Cheese (Known as ''Paneer'' in India). Indian pizzas are generally made more spicy as compared to their western counterparts, to suit Indian taste. Along with Indian variations, more conventional pizzas are also eaten.
  
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*In [[São Paulo]], [[Brazil]], pizzas are often made without cheese (if they are not cheese flavoured), emphasizing the topping ingredients. Borders are sometimes optionally filled with [[cheddar]] or [[catupiry]].
+
===Frozen and ready-to-bake pizzas===
 +
[[Image:CHEESE AND TOMATO PIZZA.JPG|thumb|right|Cooked from frozen pizza topped with cheese and tomato sauce]]
 +
Pizza is also found as a [[frozen food]] in [[grocery store]]s and supermarkets. Some popular brands of these in the [[United States of America|US]] are '''[[Tombstone pizza]]''', '''[[DiGiorno|DiGiorno's]]''', [[Red Baron (disambiguation)|Red Baron]] and '''[[Home Run Inn]]'''.  A considerable amount 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 pizzas with completely raw ingredients have also begun to appear, as have those with “self-rising” crusts. Many grocery stores and supermarkets also sell fresh, ready-to-bake pizzas. Recently, nearly all of the frozen pizza makers like '''[[Jack's]]''', '''Tony’s''', '''Red Baron''' and '''[[Totino's]]''', as well as the store brands have switched to a lower quality of [[pepperoni]] and [[sausage]] made with a combination of [[pork]], [[beef]] and the recently added [[mechanically separated chicken]].
  
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===Crusts and baking methods===
+
Another form of uncooked pizza is available from [[take and bake pizzeria]]s. This pizza is created fresh using raw ingredients, then sold to customers who take it home and bake it in their own ovens and microwaves. Many supermarkets also offer this service.
−
Pizza may be baked with a thin [[bread]] bottom (Italian or "hand-tossed" style) or with thicker bread (pan pizza).  
 
  
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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.
+
==Similar dishes==
 +
*“Farinata” or “cecina”. A Ligurian ([[:it:farinata|farinata]]) and Tuscan ([[cecina]]) regional dish made from 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.
 +
* The [[Alsace|Alsatian]] '''[[Tarte flambée]]''' (German: '''Flammkuchen''') is a thin disc of dough covered in [[crème fraîche]], onions, and bacon.
 +
* The [[Anatolia]]n '''[[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 [[Levant]]ine '''[[Manakish]]''' (Arabic: '''ma-ujna'at''') and '''[[Sfiha]]''' (Arabic: '''lahm bi-`ajĩn''';  also '''Arab pizza''') are dishes similar to pizza.
 +
* The [[Provençal]] '''[[Pissaladière]]''' is similar to an Italian pizza, with a slightly thicker crust and generally a topping of cooked onions, [[anchovy|anchovies]], and olives.
 +
*[[Calzone]] and [[stromboli (food)|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.
 +
*[[Garlic fingers]] is an [[Atlantic Canadian]] dish, similar to a pizza in shape and size, and made with the same type of dough. It is garnished with melted butter, garlic, cheese, and sometimes bacon.
 +
* ''Pizza'' is sometimes used as a general word for a savory pie; the [[Campania]]n ''pizza rustica'' and the [[Italian American cuisine|Italian American]] pizzagiena (''Easter pie'') are examples of this more general sense.{{Fact|date=May 2007}}
 +
* In Scotland Calsons are sold. Derived from the Old Scots language for trouser or hose IPA [kɑːlsən] a calson is a sandwich sized turnover made from pizza dough and stuffed with ingredients such as haggis, lamb, cheddar cheese, potatoes, onions and corned beef, specifically to suit Scottish taste preferences. Tomatoes are not used. It is eaten during soccer games as a hand warming snack. Pizza eating in Scotland derives from the large Scots-Italian immigrant population, now largely assimilated, that settled in Scotland during the 19th century. (Calsowmis,  Calsons: old Scots for hose or trousers [http://www.dsl.ac.uk/]. They are a tasty snack produced by Uinfoods. [http://www.uinfoods.com]
  
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In restaurants, pizza can be baked in a gas deck (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 (tool)|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 [[grilling|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.
+
==Italian and European law==
 +
In Italy there is a bill before Parliament to safeguard the ''traditional Italian pizza'', specifying 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.
  
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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.
+
Italy has also requested that the [[European Union]] safeguard some traditional Italian pizzas, such as “Margherita” and “marinara”. The European Union enacted a [[protected designation of origin]] system in the 1990s.
  
−
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.
+
==Health issues==
 +
Some pizzas can be very high in salt and fat and concerns have been raised about the negative effect these pizzas can have on people’s health. [[Pizza Hut]] has come under criticism for the high salt content of some of their meals which were found to contain more than twice the daily recommended amount of salt for an adult.
  
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===[[Tomato sauce]]===
+
However, it should also be noted that commercially made [[fast food]] pizza is very different from well made Italian pizza, particularly from a good restaurant which is concerned with using only good ingredients, or even more so in a homemade pizza.  The salt and [[saturated fat]] content of a homemade pizza is usually far less if using original recipes.  Mozzarella cheese is not as fatty as many other cheeses, and should be used judiciously in any event. Feta cheese, which has an even lower saturated fat content, is often used in homemade pizza recipes.  There is the added bonus of being able to include other healthy ingredients as well, such as fresh tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, courgettes (vegetable marrow or [[zucchini]]) and aubergine (eggplant), as just a few examples.
  
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On those pizzas that use tomatoes, there are several ways of adding them. The most common is commercial pizza sauce, a smooth, thick tomato sauce similar to marinara sauce that is ladled and spread onto the crust in pizza shops. It is also not uncommon to use a raw tomato sauce (usually made from [[canned tomato]]es and fresh herbs such as basil) that cooks along with the pizza in the oven, or even a simple topping of ground or diced tomatoes and herbs on a deep-dish pizza.
+
Nutrition researchers in Europe investigating the eating habits of people suffering from cancer of the mouth, oesophagus, throat or colon, made an interesting finding with regard to eating pizza. 3,300 sufferers were questioned regarding their eating habits, and their answers compared to over 5,000 healthy respondents.
  
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==Pizza in culture==
+
Those who ate pizza at least once a week had less chance of developing cancer, they found. Dr Silvano Gallus, of the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmaceutical Research in Milan, who led the research said: "We knew that tomato sauce could offer protection against certain tumors, but we did not expect pizza as a complete meal also to offer such protective powers." Nicola O'Connor, of [[Cancer Research UK]], told [[BBC News]] Online: "This study is interesting and the results should probably be looked at in the context of what we already know about the [[Mediterranean diet]] and its association with a lower risk of certain types of cancer.
−
In the film ''[[Splendor in the Grass]]'', set in [[1929]], the character Bud Stamper visits a [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]] pizzeria (see also [[apizza]]) as a freshman at [[Yale University]], and has to ask the waitress, "What is pizza?"  In the 1920s, pizza would have been virtually unknown to a non-Italian Midwesterner.  
 
  
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Pizza plays a prominent role in other films, such as ''Loverboy'', ''[[Mystic Pizza]]'' and [[Spike Lee]]'s ''[[Do the Right Thing]]''.
+
"The secret is probably lycopene, an antioxidant chemical in tomatoes, which is thought to offer some protection against cancer, and which gives the fruit its red color.
  
−
Pizza was the food of choice of the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]] and features heavily in the opening monatage of New York City in the second live-action movie.
+
"But before people start dialing the local pizza takeaway, they should consider that some pizzas can be high in saturated fat, salt and calories". In contrast to the classic Italian pizza used in the research, most UK pizza takeaway varieties are often loaded with high fat cheeses and fatty meats and yeast, a high intake of which can contribute to obesity, itself a [[risk factor]] for cancer. "Our advice is to enjoy selected Italian pizza (ie. healthy pizza) in moderation as part of a balanced diet that includes plenty of vegetables and fruit."
  
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Pizza has also been used in teaching fractions and in [[computer games]], such as ''[[Pizza Tycoon]]''.
+
Italian Carlo La Vecchia, a Milan-based epidemiologist said Italian pizza lovers should not see the research as a license to indulge their fondness for pizza food. "There is nothing to indicate that pizza is the only thing responsible for these results." He continued: "Pizza could simply be indicative of a lifestyle and food habits, in other words the Italian version of a Mediterranean diet." A Mediterranean diet is rich in olive oil, fiber, vegetables, fruit, flour and freshly cooked food - including traditional Italian healthy pizza.
  
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Until the early 1990s, pizza delivery was relatively unavailable in Britain.  This deficiency was the focus of an extended passage in the [[Douglas Adams]] novel ''[[The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul]]''.
+
==Records==
 +
* The largest pizza ever made was at the Norwood [[Pick 'n Pay|Pick ’n Pay]] hypermarket in [[Johannesburg]], [[South Africa]]. According to the ''[[Guinness Book of Records]]'' the pizza was 37.4 meters in diameter and was made using 500 kg of flour, 800 kg of cheese and 900 kg of [[Tomato purée|tomato puree]]. This was accomplished on [[December 8]], [[1990]].
  
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===Quotation===
+
* On [[March 22]], [[2001]], Bernard Jordaan of Butler's Pizza, [[Cape Town]], [[South Africa]], delivered a pizza 11042km 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''.
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<!-- PLEASE CITE THE SOURCE OF THE QUOTE -->
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* In Feltham, London, a new record for the farthest food delivery was achieved by Lucy Clough of Domino’s. A vegetarian supreme pizza was cooked on [[November 17]], [[2004]] and travelled a distance of 10532mi to its [[delivery point]] at 30 Ramsay Street, [[Melbourne, Australia]], on [[November 19]], [[2004]]. The record is in the 2006 version of the ''Guinness Book of Records''.
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* ''"When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, [[That's Amore]]."'' sung by [[Dean Martin]], reached US number 2 in [[1953]].
 
  
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==See also==
+
* The most expensive pizza created was made by the restaurateur Domenico Crolla, who created a pizza which included toppings such as sunblush-tomato sauce, Scottish [[smoked salmon]], medallions of [[venison]], edible [[gold]], [[lobster]] marinated in the finest [[Cognac (drink)|cognac]] and champagne-soaked [[caviar]]. The pizza was sold at auction for charity for [[Pound sterling|£]]2,150.
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*[[Italian cuisine]]
 
  
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*[[Pasta]]
+
* What has been called “the world’s most extravagant pizza” is available at New York’s Nino’s Bellissima restaurant. Topped with six varieties of caviar, [[chives]], fresh lobster and [[crème fraîche]], this 12in pie, called the “Luxury Pizza”, retails at US$1,000.00 (or $125.00 a slice).
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*[[Pita]]
 
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*[[World Pizza Championship]]
 
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*[[Calzone]]
 
  
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==External links==
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==See also==
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{{cookbook}}
 
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{{Commons|Category:Pizza}}
 
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* [http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Pizza/PizzaHistory.htm What's Cooking America] &mdash; History & Legends of Pizza (Linda Stradley)
 
  
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* [http://www.correllconcepts.com/Encyclopizza/_home_encyclopizza.htm Encyclopizza] &mdash; Recipes & Guide to Preparing Great Pizza (John Correll)
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* [[List of pizzerias]]
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* [[Pizza farm]]
  
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* [http://www.pizzamaking.com PizzaMaking] &mdash; Non-commercial site dedicated to the art and science of pizzamaking.
 
  
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[[Category:Pizza|*]]
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[[Category:Pizza| ]]
 
[[Category:Italian cuisine]]
 
[[Category:Italian cuisine]]
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[[Category:Pizza]]
 
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[[Category:Fast food]]
 
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[[Category:Peasant foods]]
 
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[[Category:Globalization]]
 

Latest revision as of 19:02, 2 March 2009


Pepperoni pizza.jpg
Pizza

History of pizza
Pizza delivery

Pizza Varieties
New York-style pizza
Sicilian pizza · Greek pizza
Chicago-style pizza
Pizza al taglio
New Haven-style pizza
Hawaiian pizza
California-style pizza
St. Louis-style pizza
Mexican pizza · Pissaladière
Detroit-style pizza

Similar Dishes
Lahmacun · Focaccia
Manakish · Coca
Sardenara· Calzone
Pita · Flammkuchen
Paratha · Naan
Green onion pancake
Tomato pie · Pizza bagel
Grilled pizza · Deep-fried pizza
Garlic fingers · Sausage bread
Farinata · Quesadilla

Pizza tools
Pizza cutter · Mezzaluna
Peel · Masonry oven

Events
World Pizza Championship
Long Island Pizza Festival & Bake-Off

Pizza (ˈpiːtsə), in Italian: ['pit.tsa] - from the Latin verb pìnsere, to press) is a world-popular dish of Italian origin, made with an oven-baked, flat, generally round bread that is often covered with tomatoes or a tomato-based sauce and mozzarella cheese. Other toppings are added according to region, culture, or personal preference.

Originating as a part of Italian cuisine, the dish has become popular in many different parts of the world. A shop or restaurant where pizzas are made and sold is called a “pizzeria”. The phrases “pizza parlor,” "pizza place" and "pizza shop" are used in the United States. The term pizza pie is dialectal, and pie is used for simplicity in some contexts, such as among pizzeria staff.


History

Main article History of pizza

Base and baking methods

The bottom base of the pizza (called the “crust” in the United States and Canada) may vary widely according to style thin as in hand-tossed pizza or Roman pizza, thick as in pan pizza or Chicago-style pizza. It is traditionally plain, but may also be seasoned with butter, garlic, or herbs, or stuffed with cheese.

In restaurants, pizza can be baked in an oven with stone bricks above the heat source, 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 grate, typically aluminum). 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.

Pizza types

Authentic Neapolitan pizza margherita, the base for most kinds of pizza
Neapolitan pizza marinara

Neapolitan pizza (pizza napoletana): Authentic Neapolitan pizzas are made with local ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes, which grow on the volcanic plains to the south of Mount Vesuvius, and Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, made with the milk from water buffalo raised in the marshlands of Campania and Lazio in a semi-wild state (this mozzarella is protected with its own European protected designation of origin). According to the rules proposed by the Associazione vera pizza napoletana, the genuine Neapolitan pizza dough consists of Italian wheat flour (type 0 or 00, or a mixture of both), natural Neapolitan yeast or brewer’s yeast, salt 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 485C stone oven with an oak-wood fire. When cooked, it should be crispy, tender and fragrant. Neapolitan pizza has been given the status of a “guaranteed traditional specialty” in Italy. This allows only three official variants: pizza marinara, which is made with tomato, garlic, oregano and extra virgin olive oil (although most Neapolitan pizzerias also add basil to the marinara), pizza Margherita, made with tomato, sliced mozzarella, basil and extra-virgin olive oil, and pizza Margherita extra made with tomato, buffalo mozzarella from Campania in fillets, basil and extra virgin olive oil.

Pizza al taglio in Rome

Lazio style: Pizza in Lazio (Rome), as well as in many other parts of Italy is available in two different styles: (1) Take-away shops sell pizza rustica or pizza al taglio. This pizza is cooked in long, rectangular baking pans and relatively thick (1–2 cm). The crust is similar to that of an English muffin, and the pizza is often cooked in an electric oven. It is usually cut with scissors or a knife and sold by weight. (2) In pizza restaurants (pizzerias), pizza is served in a dish in its traditional round shape. It has a thin, crisp base quite different to the thicker and softer Neapolitan style base. It is usually cooked in a wood-fired oven, giving the pizza its unique flavor and texture. 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).

Other types of Lazio-style pizza include:

  • Pizza romana (in Naples): tomato, mozzarella, anchovies, oregano, oil;
  • Pizza viennese: tomato, mozzarella, German sausage, oregano, oil;
  • Pizza capricciosa (“capricious pizza”): mozzarella, tomato, mushrooms, artichokes, cooked ham, olives, oil (in Rome, prosciutto raw ham is used and half a hard-boiled egg is added);
  • Pizza quattro stagioni (“four seasons pizza”): same ingredients for the capricciosa, but ingredients not mixed;
  • Pizza quattro formaggi (“four cheese pizza”): tomatoes, mozzarella, stracchino, fontina, gorgonzola (sometimes ricotta can be swapped for one of the last three);

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, especially on the east coast of the United States, the toppings consist only of mozzarella and ricotta cheese drizzled with olive oil and spices like fresh basil and garlic. In Rome, the term pizza bianca refers to a type of bread topped with olive oil, salt and, occasionally, rosemary leaves. It’s also a Roman style to top the white pizza with figs, the result called pizza e fichi (pizza with figs);

Ripieno or calzone is a pizza in the form of a half moon, sometimes filled with ricotta, salami and mozzarella; it can be either fried or oven baked.

Non-Italian types of pizza

In the 20th century and onward, pizza has become an international food and the toppings may vary considerably in accordance with local tastes. These pizzas consist of the same basic design but include an exceptionally diverse choice of ingredients.

United States styles and specialties

Home-made pepperoni pizza

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. The thickness of the crust depends on what the consumer prefers; both thick and thin crust are popular. Often, "Americanized" foods such as barbecued chicken and bacon cheeseburgers are used to create new types of pizza. Mexican pizza, or taco pizza, is also popular in the U.S., popularized by the Taco Bell chain.

Ingredients

A home-made pizza exhibiting a plethora of toppings common to American pizzas

American pizza often has vegetable oil or shortening (often, but not always, olive oil) mixed into the dough; this is not as common in Italian recipes (for example, the pizza dough recipe in the influential Italian cookbook Il cucchiaio d'argento does not use oil). This can range from a small amount in relatively lean doughs, such as New York style, to a very large amount in some recipes for Chicago-style deep-dish dough. In addition, American pizza (at least thin-crust) is often made with a very high-gluten flour (often 13–14% protein content) of the type also used to make bagels; this type of flour allows the dough to be stretched rather thinly without tearing, similar to strudel or phyllo dough.

Various toppings may be added, most typically:

In some pizza recipes the tomato sauce is omitted (termed “white pizza”), or replaced with another sauce (usually garlic butter, but sauces can also be made with spinach or onions). In the Philadelphia area there are also tomato pies—sauce only, or sauce with ripe Roma tomatoes and spices but no cheese—and upside-down pizzas, i.e., the cheese on the bottom and topped with sauce. Pizza is normally eaten hot (typically at lunch or dinner), but is sometimes eaten as cold leftovers for breakfast.

Variations

New York-style pizza is a style originally developed in New York City by immigrants from Naples, where pizza was created. It is often sold in generously sized, thin and flexible slices. It is traditionally hand-tossed, moderate on sauce, and moderately covered with cheese essentially amounting to a much larger version of the Neapolitan style. The slices are sometimes eaten folded in half, or even stacked, 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 “regular”, 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. Another type of pizza, more popular on Long Island but can be found, albeit rarely, in Queens and Manhattan is Grandma pizza. It is cooked in a square pan like Sicilian, but it is much thinner. It has a thin, crispy crust, usually has tomato chunks in addition, or in exception, to the sauce. Generally, it will contain less cheese than regular slices, and sometimes has extra spices or oils baked into the crust.

White clam pie from Pepe’s in New Haven, Connecticut

New Haven-style pizza, also known as apizza, popular in southern Connecticut. It has a thin crust that varies between chewy and tender, depending on the particular establishment. The default version is a “white” pizza topped with only garlic and hard cheeses; customers who want tomato sauce or mozzarella cheese have to ask for them explicitly. Apizza has a very dark, “scorched” crisp crust that offers a distinctive bitter flavor, which can be offset by the sweetness of tomatoes or other toppings.

Greek pizza is a variation popular in New England; its name comes from it being typical of the style of pizzerias owned by Greek immigrants. 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, as well as being liberally used to grease the pans and crisp the crust. Variations in other parts of the country include using feta cheese, Kalamata olives, and Greek herbs such as oregano.

Chicago-style deep-dish pizza

Chicago-style pizza, or Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, contains a crust which is formed up the sides of a deep-dish pan. It reverses the order of some 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. The invention of deep-dish pizza occurred in America and transcends a single ethnic origin. Deep-dish pizza was invented by Ike Sewell and Ric Riccardo and first served in 1943 at Pizzeria Uno, which is still operating along with its twin restaurant, Pizzeria Due, in the River North neighborhood.

Chicago-style thin-crust pizza has a thinner crust than Chicago-style deep dish, and is baked flat rather than in a deep dish pan. The crust is thin and firm enough to have a noticeable crunch, unlike a New York-style pizza, yet thick enough to be soft and doughy on the top. The crust is invariably topped with a liberal quantity of southern-Italian style tomato sauce, which is usually quite herbal or highly spiced, and typically contains no visible chunks of tomato. Next, a layer of toppings is added, and a layer of mozzarella cheese which frequently separates from the bottom crust due to the quantity of tomato sauce. Chicago-style thin crust pizzas are cut into three-to-four-inch (8–10 cm) squares, also known as “party cut”, as opposed to a “pie cut” into wedges. The small size of the squares makes it unnecessary to fold the slices. Chicago-style pizza is prevalent throughout the Midwestern US. In fact, most of the neighborhood pizza parlors in Chicago and the rest of the Midwest serve Chicago-style thin crust, not deep dish as is commonly assumed. Chains that are well known for Chicago-style thin-crust pizza are Aurelio's Pizza, Home Run Inn and Rosati's Pizza.

St. Louis-style pizza is a thin crust variant that is popular in and around St. Louis, Missouri. 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 Chicago-style thin crust. The toppings usually consist of fresh, never frozen, ingredients sliced instead of diced. It is common for the pizza to be topped with large pieces of onion, round slices of bell pepper, and full strips of bacon. If ordered with sausage or hamburger, the meat is squeezed off by hand into marble-sized chunks. The crust is thin enough that it becomes very crunchy in the oven and is sometimes compared to a cracker. Even though the crust is round, it is always cut into small squares.

California-style pizza refers to pizza with non-traditional ingredients, especially those that use a considerable amount of fresh produce. A Thai-inspired chicken pizza with peanut sauce, bean sprouts, and shaved carrots is a popular variant in California-style pizza restaurants, as are pizzas that use chicken and barbecue sauce as toppings. The style was invented by Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California, and popularized by the California Pizza Kitchen chain, along with Wolfgang Puck’s various fine dining and casual restaurant chains and retail products.

Hawaiian pizza has “Canadian bacon” (or sliced ham) and pineapple toppings with Mozzarella cheese. This type of pizza is especially popular in the western United States, and is also a popular topping combination in Australia, Canada, and Sweden, but notably not in Hawaii. This type is also common within the EU, where it is known as pizza Hawaii.

Taco pizza has ingredients usually associated with tacos, such as; lettuce, shredded beef or hamburger, chopped tomatoes, avocados, corn chips, cheddar cheese, sour cream and taco sauce.

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 been flipped over.

English muffin and French bread pizza and pizza bagels are common convenience pizzas made at home in an oven or toaster, usually with a simple topping of tomato sauce, sliced or shredded cheese, and perhaps pepperoni. French bread pizza is sometimes available commercially as a frozen meal.

Pizza in Brazil

Pizza is a very popular dish in Brazil, brought by Italian immigrants to that country. The best pizzerie are found in Sao Paulo, a city that calls itself 'The Pizza Capital of the World', hosting more than 6000 pizza establishments and where more than 1.4 million pizzas are consumed every day. It is said that the first Brazilian pizzas were baked in the Bras district of Sao Paulo in the early part of the 20th century. Until the 1950s, they were only found in the Italian communities. Since then, pizza became increasingly popular with the rest of the population. The most traditional pizzeria are still found in the Italian neighborhoods, such as the Bexiga/Bela Vista. Many say that the Brazilian pizza is the best outside Italy. Typically, pizzas follow the Neapolitan variety, rather than the Roman one, being thicker and more doughy.

Pizza in Australia

Pizza is popular in Australia, where a significant percentage of the population is of Italian descent. The usual Italian varieties are available, but there is also the Australian, or australiana, which has the usual tomato sauce base and mozzarella cheese with bacon and egg (seen as quintessentially Australian breakfast fare). Prawns are also sometimes used on this style of pizza.

In the 1980s Australian pizza shops and restaurants began selling gourmet pizzas, essentially pizzas with upmarket ingredients such as salmon, dill, bocconcini, tiger prawns, and even such outré toppings as kangaroo, emu and crocodile meats. Wood-fired pizzas, cooked in an impressive-looking ceramic oven heated by wood fuel, are also popular.

Pizza in India

Pizza is a fast emerging fast food in Indian urban areas. With the arrival of pizza brands like Pizza Hut, Domino's and Smoking Joe's etc, Pizza has reached to many cities in India. Pizza is becoming extremely popular among youth in India.

Pizza outlets serve pizzas with several Indian based toppings like Tandoori Chicken and inclusion of Cottage Cheese (Known as Paneer in India). Indian pizzas are generally made more spicy as compared to their western counterparts, to suit Indian taste. Along with Indian variations, more conventional pizzas are also eaten.

Frozen and ready-to-bake pizzas

Cooked from frozen pizza topped with cheese and tomato sauce

Pizza is also found as a frozen food in grocery stores and supermarkets. Some popular brands of these in the US are Tombstone pizza, DiGiorno's, Red Baron and Home Run Inn. A considerable amount 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 pizzas with completely raw ingredients have also begun to appear, as have those with “self-rising” crusts. Many grocery stores and supermarkets also sell fresh, ready-to-bake pizzas. Recently, nearly all of the frozen pizza makers like Jack's, Tony’s, Red Baron and Totino's, as well as the store brands have switched to a lower quality of pepperoni and sausage made with a combination of pork, beef and the recently added mechanically separated chicken.

Another form of uncooked pizza is available from take and bake pizzerias. This pizza is created fresh using raw ingredients, then sold to customers who take it home and bake it in their own ovens and microwaves. Many supermarkets also offer this service.

Similar dishes

  • “Farinata” or “cecina”. A Ligurian (farinata) and Tuscan (cecina) regional dish made from 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.
  • The Alsatian Tarte flambée (German: Flammkuchen) 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 Levantine Manakish (Arabic: ma-ujna'at) and Sfiha (Arabic: lahm bi-`ajĩn; also Arab pizza) are dishes similar to pizza.
  • The Provençal Pissaladière 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.
  • Garlic fingers is an Atlantic Canadian dish, similar to a pizza in shape and size, and made with the same type of dough. It is garnished with melted butter, garlic, cheese, and sometimes bacon.
  • Pizza is sometimes used 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.Template:Fact
  • In Scotland Calsons are sold. Derived from the Old Scots language for trouser or hose IPA [kɑːlsən] a calson is a sandwich sized turnover made from pizza dough and stuffed with ingredients such as haggis, lamb, cheddar cheese, potatoes, onions and corned beef, specifically to suit Scottish taste preferences. Tomatoes are not used. It is eaten during soccer games as a hand warming snack. Pizza eating in Scotland derives from the large Scots-Italian immigrant population, now largely assimilated, that settled in Scotland during the 19th century. (Calsowmis, Calsons: old Scots for hose or trousers [1]. They are a tasty snack produced by Uinfoods. [2]

Italian and European law

In Italy there is a bill before Parliament to safeguard the traditional Italian pizza, specifying 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”. The European Union enacted a protected designation of origin system in the 1990s.

Health issues

Some pizzas can be very high in salt and fat and concerns have been raised about the negative effect these pizzas can have on people’s health. Pizza Hut has come under criticism for the high salt content of some of their meals which were found to contain more than twice the daily recommended amount of salt for an adult.

However, it should also be noted that commercially made fast food pizza is very different from well made Italian pizza, particularly from a good restaurant which is concerned with using only good ingredients, or even more so in a homemade pizza. The salt and saturated fat content of a homemade pizza is usually far less if using original recipes. Mozzarella cheese is not as fatty as many other cheeses, and should be used judiciously in any event. Feta cheese, which has an even lower saturated fat content, is often used in homemade pizza recipes. There is the added bonus of being able to include other healthy ingredients as well, such as fresh tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, courgettes (vegetable marrow or zucchini) and aubergine (eggplant), as just a few examples.

Nutrition researchers in Europe investigating the eating habits of people suffering from cancer of the mouth, oesophagus, throat or colon, made an interesting finding with regard to eating pizza. 3,300 sufferers were questioned regarding their eating habits, and their answers compared to over 5,000 healthy respondents.

Those who ate pizza at least once a week had less chance of developing cancer, they found. Dr Silvano Gallus, of the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmaceutical Research in Milan, who led the research said: "We knew that tomato sauce could offer protection against certain tumors, but we did not expect pizza as a complete meal also to offer such protective powers." Nicola O'Connor, of Cancer Research UK, told BBC News Online: "This study is interesting and the results should probably be looked at in the context of what we already know about the Mediterranean diet and its association with a lower risk of certain types of cancer.

"The secret is probably lycopene, an antioxidant chemical in tomatoes, which is thought to offer some protection against cancer, and which gives the fruit its red color.

"But before people start dialing the local pizza takeaway, they should consider that some pizzas can be high in saturated fat, salt and calories". In contrast to the classic Italian pizza used in the research, most UK pizza takeaway varieties are often loaded with high fat cheeses and fatty meats and yeast, a high intake of which can contribute to obesity, itself a risk factor for cancer. "Our advice is to enjoy selected Italian pizza (ie. healthy pizza) in moderation as part of a balanced diet that includes plenty of vegetables and fruit."

Italian Carlo La Vecchia, a Milan-based epidemiologist said Italian pizza lovers should not see the research as a license to indulge their fondness for pizza food. "There is nothing to indicate that pizza is the only thing responsible for these results." He continued: "Pizza could simply be indicative of a lifestyle and food habits, in other words the Italian version of a Mediterranean diet." A Mediterranean diet is rich in olive oil, fiber, vegetables, fruit, flour and freshly cooked food - including traditional Italian healthy pizza.

Records

  • The most expensive pizza created was made by the restaurateur Domenico Crolla, who created a pizza which included toppings such as sunblush-tomato sauce, Scottish smoked salmon, medallions of venison, edible gold, lobster marinated in the finest cognac and champagne-soaked caviar. The pizza was sold at auction for charity for £2,150.
  • What has been called “the world’s most extravagant pizza” is available at New York’s Nino’s Bellissima restaurant. Topped with six varieties of caviar, chives, fresh lobster and crème fraîche, this 12in pie, called the “Luxury Pizza”, retails at US$1,000.00 (or $125.00 a slice).

See also

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