New York-style pizza
Encyclopedia
Pizza
Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...
originated in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in the early 1900s. It is known for its large, wide, thin and foldable shape. The traditional toppings were tomato sauce
Tomato sauce
A tomato sauce is any of a very large number of sauces made primarily from tomatoes, usually to be served as part of a dish...
and mozzarella
Mozzarella
Mozzarella is an Italian Traditional Speciality Guaranteed food product. The term is used for several kinds of Italian cheeses that are made using spinning and then cutting :...
cheese, with any additional toppings placed with the cheese. It is traditionally hand-tossed and light on sauce. The slices are often eaten as a 'street snack' while folded in half, as its size and flexibility sometimes makes it unwieldy to eat flat.
The most notable difference between New York style and other American pizzas is its thin hand-tossed crust, made from a high-gluten
Gluten
Gluten is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related grain species, including barley and rye...
bread flour. The flavor of the crust has sometimes been attributed to the minerals present in the New York City water used to make the dough. Some out-of-state pizza makers even transport the water cross-country for the sake of authenticity. New York-style pizza is usually sold both by the slice and as whole pies. Slices are taken from a large pie — typically around 18 inches (45 cm) in diameter — and most commonly cut into 8 slices. Pizzas to be sold by the slice can be either "plain" (sometimes "cheese" or "regular" ) or with toppings. While many New York pizzerias also have slices with various toppings ready to serve, they invariably have plain slices ready to go, and can provide slices with toppings by adding them on prior to re-heating.
New York pizzerias generally have condiments that can be added to the pizza after serving. Common condiments include oregano
Oregano
Oregano – scientifically named Origanum vulgare by Carolus Linnaeus – is a common species of Origanum, a genus of the mint family . It is native to warm-temperate western and southwestern Eurasia and the Mediterranean region.Oregano is a perennial herb, growing from 20–80 cm tall,...
, grated Parmesan cheese, dried red chili pepper
Chili pepper
Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
and garlic
Garlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
powder.
Also served in the New York area, square-shaped slices with much thicker dough are called Sicilian
Sicilian pizza
Sicilian pizza refers to the different ways to prepare pizza in Sicily .In the USA, among the Italian American community, the locution sicilian pizza it refers to a particular way to cook the pizza originated from the city of Palermo.-Local pizza in Sicily:In Sicily there are many local ways to...
slices, though they often differ considerably from the true pizza of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. In some cases at shops offering both, normal (thin crust) New York style is distinguished as Neapolitan pizza although the relationship is distant.
Relatives and regional variation
This style of pizza (or at least close relatives to it) tends to dominate the Northeastern states, with many shops advertising New York-style pizza. It is sometimes also known as "Italian pizza" (as opposed to Greek pizzaGreek pizza
Greek pizza can refer to either of two styles of pizza.One usage refers to a pizza with typically Greek ingredients as toppings. These include authentic toppings such as feta cheese, onion, Kalamata olives, fresh tomato, green bell pepper, gyros meat and spinach.The other usage refers to a...
) since it reflects the variety of pizza made most commonly in Italian-American-owned pizza shops. Many stores in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
have developed this style.
Outside of the Northeast
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
, many pizzas are described as "New York style" - including some by major pizza chains such as Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
. Authenticity is highly variable and often spurious; as the term is often misapplied to "generic American" pizza - examples would be crust that is too thick (or too cracker-like) or the use of mixed multi-cheese blends (especially containing cheddar.)
Gennaro Lombardi
Gennaro Lombardi was an Italian immigrant who moved to the US in 1897. He opened a small grocery store in New York's Little Italy. An employee of his, Antonio Totonno Pero, also an Italian immigrant, began making pizza for the store to sell...
, at Lombardi's
Lombardi's
Lombardi's claims to be the first pizzeria in the United States, founded in 1905 in Little Italy, Manhattan. The business started out as a grocery store at 53 Spring Street in 1897 opened by Gennaro Lombardi. In 1905 his employee Antonio Totonno Pero began selling tomato pies wrapped in paper and...
in Little Italy, Manhattan
Little Italy, Manhattan
Little Italy is a neighborhood in lower Manhattan, New York City, once known for its large population of Italians. Today the neighborhood of Little Italy consists of Italian stores and restaurants.-Historical area:...
.
- DiFara'sDiFara'sDi Fara Pizza is a pizzeria located in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, New York. It serves classic New York-style pizza and Sicilian-style pies, as well as pasta, sandwiches, and other items. The restaurant has been owned and operated by Domenico DeMarco since 1964. Di Fara has received many...
- Lombardi'sLombardi'sLombardi's claims to be the first pizzeria in the United States, founded in 1905 in Little Italy, Manhattan. The business started out as a grocery store at 53 Spring Street in 1897 opened by Gennaro Lombardi. In 1905 his employee Antonio Totonno Pero began selling tomato pies wrapped in paper and...
- Grimaldi's PizzeriaGrimaldi's PizzeriaGrimaldi's Pizzeria is a popular pizzeria in the New York City area. The original, and most famous of these locations is located under the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn on Old Fulton Street. It does not sell slices; only whole pies...
- Ray's PizzaRay's PizzaRay's Pizza, and its many variations such as "Ray's Original Pizza", "Famous Ray's Pizza", "World-Famous Original Ray's Pizza", etc, are the names of dozens of pizzerias in the New York City area that are generally completely independent but that may have similar menus, signs and...
- Patsy's PizzeriaPatsy's PizzeriaPatsy's Pizzeria is a historic coal-oven pizzeria in New York City and one of the original pizzerias in New York.-History:Patsy's Pizzeria was founded in East Harlem in 1933 by Pasquale Lanceri. When it opened it was one of New York's early pizzerias along with Lombardi's, Grimaldi's and John's...
- Totonno'sTotonno'sTotonno's is a Coney Island pizzeria established by Antonio "Totonno" Pero. He was an employee at the Lombardi's pizzeria on Spring Street in New York's Little Italy that was established in 1905 when he began selling tomato pies cooked in a coal oven and wrapped in paper and tied with a string. In...
- Spumoni GardensSpumoni GardensSpumoni Gardens is a pizzeria-restaurant located in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bensonhurst. Originally conceived as an ice and spumoni stand prior to World War II, it eventually grew into a full-scale pizzeria that's known primarily for its Sicilian pizza and ices during the mid-1950s.-External...
- John's Pizzeria