An ancient seduction: flat bread slathered with olive oil, garlic and herbs has been a staple food around Europe as far back as the 6th Century. However, the modern pizza as we know it was invented in the 19th century in Italy, just a few years prior to its advent into the U.S.
In 1889, Raffaele Esposito, a famous pizzaiolo (pizza maker), prepared a pie for her highness Queen Margherita with colors of the Italian flag: red (tomato), white (cheese) and green (fresh basil). This innovative “pie” was a royal hit and was subsequently named after the Queen. Now you know why the “Pizza Margherita” finds itself leading the list on almost every pizza menu.
Despite its introduction in the early 1900s, the Americans gastronomical craze with this soul-satisfying pie grew manifold only after World War II, when war veterans stationed in Italy created a nationwide craving for the “Italian dish” they had devoured abroad. Pizza soon took its place next to American favorites like hot dogs and French fries and pizzeria chains mushroomed across the country, with a similar enthusiasm Queen Margherita had inspired long ago.
Despite its origin in the land of the Azzurri, pizza has amassed a following of gargantuan proportions in the U.S. Be it the ritual midnight treat for cramming students, the day when Dad cooks dinner, the answer to a family social, or a food chaser for pint lovers — whatever the occasion, a slice of pizza is only a wish away.
Today, the pizza is a battlefield for pizzaiolos to get creative — to add everything from smoked Gouda to broccoli to satisfy a country crazy for pizza. But, no two cities in the U.S. have fallen deeper in love with this soul satisfying pie than New York and Chicago. So who makes the best pie? I tested it out:
After years of listening to tales of “pie” perfection, I had finally meandered my way to the legendary Lombardi’s Pizzeria in New York. The aroma wafting off the steaming flatbread was unlike any other I had encountered. The scent of the yeasty crust, adorned with ripened crushed tomatoes, and the evening autumn breeze danced up my nostrils, relaxing my tired soul.
Lombardi’s in New York was the first U.S. pizzeria and was opened in 1905 by Gennaro Lombardi. He was a Neapolitan who migrated to New York, settling in Little Italy in Manhattan.
Coming back to Lombardi’s pizza pie — when it arrived on the table, it showed signs of a coal oven pie — a delicately charred chewy outer crust, which tapered to a thin soft middle, slicked with sweet mozzarella ooze, dollops of rich, fleshy tomato sauce and smatterings of basil and choice toppings (mushrooms and bell pepper), all coalescing into the perfect work of art.
Just like a New Yorker would do it, I squeezed the folded crust (it is the fold factor that gives the New York cachet) into my mouth, while the copious amounts of oil, attributed to the fresh mozzarella cheese, ran down my elbow. For the time being, I assigned the extra dose of calories to short-term memory loss.
True to its form, every bite lived up to its expectations. For fans of thin pizza there’s nothing comparable to Lombardi’s. For a food aficionado like me, this felt like the meal of a lifetime.
So famous was the charm of the pizza that back in the day everyone wanted a “slice.” Thus was the transition of a pizza from a sit down meal to throngs of people popping in and out of pizzerias for a single “slice.” In fact, pizza makers accommodated this need by making several different flavors into just one pie (I’ve seen 8 different types of toppings on one single pie!).
Just like the myriad of toppings on a single pie, the country has developed an array of pizza styles, segregated primarily by geography. For example, the stiffest competition to New York style pizza is the Chicago deep dish pie, the makers of which tout it as the nation’s finest. Unlike the Big Apple’s thin crust, the Windy City style is “BIG” (very American!) on base and toppings — a thick crust pizza that rides up the sides of a deep dish pan and can be tackled only with fork and knife.
For deep dish pizza, Chicago offers a cornucopia of choices (traditional, delicious Chicago-style pizzas can be found at Giordano’s, Gino’s East, Pizzeria Due and Lou Malnati’s), but as a traveling pizza fan, I whittled a huge list down to a select few.
I decided to stop by Pizzeria Uno or more famously Uno’s — where owner Ike Sewell pioneered the “Chicago style” deep dish pizza Midwesterners rave about. (Uno’s has a large number of franchises around the country today, but none are as good as the original.) As I waited patiently for the “Spinoccoli” (a deep dish style with a combination of spinach, broccoli, chunky tomato, mozzarella cheese and sprinkles of roasted garlic), I marveled at the lively banter ricocheting between smiling waitresses and hungry customers. One could see the raw expression on the faces of eager customers, awaiting the delivery of their favorite pie.
When the pizza arrived, I noticed the mozzarella cheese topping was replaced with a spread of tangy tomato sauce and herbs. Apparently, the cheese takes a backseat and is placed at the bottom of the crust. You can choose a pie layered with ingredients of your choice, ranging from meats (such as sausage, pepperoni) to veggies (like broccoli, green peppers, jalapenos, mushrooms, olives, spinach and onions) and a final coating of the tomato sauce. If you like to go simple, you can get the simple cheese version, which comprises of just cheese (a definite belt buster). The Chicago pie is delicious, filling and like nothing else in the country!
While the competition between New York’s scrumptious slice and Chicago’s deep dish delicacy continues, the West Coast comes in with a yet another ingenious variation.
With its progressive and cosmopolitan attitude, the West Coast has inspired the “California style pizza,” which uses exotic topping combinations like artichokes, bean sprouts, guacamole or shrimp, derived from diverse cuisines like Thai, Mexican and Caribbean.
California Pizza Kitchen is the hallmark of the California pizza style and has locations all around the U.S. Glancing at the menu, I realized the joint serves some rather eclectic fare — Mango Tandoori Chicken pizza, Greek pizza and Thai Chicken (most popular) pizza among others. Being a vegetarian, the Wild Mushroom pie was tried — cremini, portobello and shiitake mushrooms combined with fontina and mozzarella cheeses and a wild mushroom pesto, to create an utterly divine dish. Those with less intrepid palates can try the tamer options such as the Five Cheese & Fresh Tomato or the Fresh Tomato, Basil and Garlic.
There is vast landscape between the four time zones of America, and each region seems to create its own style of pizza. For example, St. Louis, Missouri has its distinct style where they replace the mozzarella cheese with “provel” — a cheese made with a medley of cheddar, Swiss and provolone. The typical pizza is cut into three- or four-inch squares instead of the conventional triangular slices.
The pride of New Haven, Connecticut is the “Apizza” — a pizza bianca or white pizza where the tomato sauce is substituted with mozzarella cheese, garlic and herbs.
If you venture down south, you will come across the Southwestern style pizza where the pizza is prepared using regional favorites like tangy salsa, green chillies, jalapenos and chorizo (pork sausage).
With people all over the U.S. taking a piece of the pie and re-inventing it, it is evident the pizza has become an integral part of the American diet. And what better way to get it to the masses than delivering it right at their doorstep, with a 30-minute guarantee. In 1960, the free delivery service was introduced by Tom Monaghan and his brother who bought a pizza joint called DomiNick’s in Ypsilanti, Michigan (now known as Domino’s). The service was an instant hit amongst those looking for a spontaneous scrumptious solution to their food cravings. Today, the delivery incentive is no longer proprietary and everyone from mom-and-pop shops, to large chains like Papa Johns, Pizza Hut and of course Domino’s offer this service — further immersing the country into this on-going love affair.
In the end, thick or thin, crunchy or chewy, hot or not — a pizza satisfies like no other. In its myriad incarnations — pizza is a food as flexible as strings of mozzarella cheese. What began as simple bread has evolved into an everyday favorite meticulously crafted from scratch, arousing a perfect tingle of your taste buds.
New York famous pizza joints:
Lombardi’s: 32 Spring St, New York, NY 10012, Tel: 212-941-7994,br>Di Fara: 1424 Ave J, Brooklyn, NY 11230, Tel: 718-258-1367
Grimaldi’s Pizzeria: 19 Old Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 718-858-4300
Chicago’s famous pizza joints:
Pizzeria Uno: 29 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL 60611, Tel: 312-280-5120
Giordano’s: 730 N Rush Street, Chicago, IL 60611, Tel: 312-951-0747