Pizza Today - February 2024 - 59

has a mustard-based sauce. Germans
brought that in through Charleston. " In
the same way, Texas style BBQ is often
beef-focused because cattle were more
common than pigs by the time the regional
designation was made. The connection
between place and food is integral to the
legitimacy of a regional style.
Differentiation is another important step
in determining a regional style's definition.
Karen Dybis, author of Detroit Style
Pizza: A Doughtown History, relied on
that concept for clarity in her research for
the book. " Detroit style pizza is not round,
isn't baked in a standard pan, does not only
use mozzarella, and the sauce is not below
the cheese. " The fact that Detroit's deep
square pizza isn't identical to any other
city's indigenous style is what defines its
identity.
This explains why Chicago's deep-dish
pizza has long defined its hometown
despite being far less popular locally than
thin, square-cut pizzas. By the early 1980s,
it was seen as the antithesis of New York
City's thin slices. Chicago Pizza Tours
founder Jon Porter points out the contrast
between the Chicago deep-dish and NYC
slice dining experience. " There weren't
many places that did [deep-dish] pizza.
You had to go downtown, find a parking
spot, and wait 40 minutes for your pizza.
It was a special occasion restaurant, unlike
the everyday corner slice shop experience
in New York. "
Although the distinct characteristics
that form a regional style are integral to its
definition, the public is more concerned
with what's on the plate rather than a set
of required recipes. According to Italian
food expert, award-winning author,
and TV host Katie Parla points out that
Romans accept variation among their city's
Pizza Tonda restaurants. " They're not all
adhering to a specific [recipe], but the final
product has the crispy and chewy texture
that the local population requires. " We see
plenty of variation in the pizza of Naples,
but they all serve a similar size, texture and
experience. The same goes for the pizza of
New Haven, Connecticut. The city's pizza
is often associated with coal-fired brick
ovens, but only a small number of its
pizzerias use them.
New Haven pizza expert, and author of
Pizza In New Haven, Colin Caplan credits
longevity for his hometown's signature
style. " Pizzerias in the New Haven area
have been making it the same way for
around a century. Our pizzas are thin,
crispy, and charred - that's what the people
of New Haven have come to expect, " says
Caplan. " I get [upset] when the pizza's
not charred. " Charred pizza isn't unique to
New Haven, but it has become an expectation
across the past century.
What legitimizes a regional
style?
A legitimate regional style requires
critical mass both in terms of the number
of pizzerias serving it and the number of
consumers recognizing it. A new pizzeria
in Tuscaloosa that claims to have created
Tuscaloosa style pizza last year is not
making a legitimate regional style. Nor is
a pizza that bases its identity on a topping
combination. For instance, Hawaiian pizza
has never claimed to be a style of pizza
from Hawaii. It's merely a topping combination
loosely referential to the island state.
Windsor, Ontario has several pizzerias
that claim to make Windsor style pizza,
but the only common thread among them
is the use of shredded pepperoni, canned
mushrooms and a local mozzarella. That's a
topping combination, not a regional style.
We tend to identify artisan pizzas made
with local produce as California style, but
pizzerias across the country have managed
to do the same without being anywhere
close to the Golden State.
This begs the question: at what point
does one pizzeria's specialty transform into
a regional style? Dybis thinks it's all due
to recognition from beyond the region.
Despite being around since the 1940s,
Detroiters didn't recognize their own deep,
square pizzas as a regional style until just
over a decade ago. Some of the earliest
instances of the phrase " Detroit Style
pizza " come from articles written in the
1980s in places like Lincoln, Nebraska,
reporting on the new pizzeria in town
that's making " unique thick square pizza
with the sauce on top. " Once enough
pizzerias started serving the thick squares
in Colorado, California, Texas and New
York City it suddenly became a recognized
regional style.
Pizzerias today often desire to be associated
with a particular style. It definitely
makes marketing easier, especially when
a style is different from the mainstream
options. Pizza schools and certification
courses are making it easier than ever to
gain credibility and acceptance. There are
programs for Neapolitan, Roman, New
York, New Haven and even Detroit style.
For pizza makers interested in learning
new methods or newcomers looking
for a place to start, categorization can be
extremely helpful.
With all the content bouncing around
social media, it's now easier than ever to
draw inspiration from multiple styles,
resulting in cross-pollination that blurs
the lines separating regional classifications.
Meathead Goldwyn believes that strict
taxonomy is becoming less advantageous.
" I think those walls have tumbled down.
There used to be regional styles, but we're
in a global economy now. "
Humans love to categorize. It gives us a
sense of order that helps establish expectations.
As helpful as it can be for those
entering the pizza business or customers
encountering an unfamiliar slice, it can
get in the way of creativity. Meathead puts
it best. " I think we really need to worry
less about these definitions and just make
beautiful food. "
Regional Pizza Style Requirements:
1.
Origin: All regional pizza styles are
tied to a specific birthplace.
2. Differentiation: Must be unlike other
styles in the area and unique from styles in
other areas.
3. Longevity: Requires decades of
existence.
4. Critical Mass: Both in terms of the
number of pizzerias making the style and
the population's acceptance.
5. Recognition: The strongest regional
styles are referenced from beyond the
region.
SCOTT WIENER is the founder of
Scott's Pizza Tours in New York City and
SliceOutHunger.org Instagram:
@scottspizzatours
http://www.SliceOutHunger.org
Pizza Today - February 2024

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