# Pizza: Round or Square? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 10, 2011, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-round-or-square/599164 "2011-10-10T13:05:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-round-or-square/599164/41 "2011-10-11T14:27:59Z")
I’m another one who, even if a square pizza tastes good, has a hard time not having my brain drudge up awful memories of cafeteria pizza from school. Soggy, sad crust, pizza sauce that was the cheapest, blandest stuff straight from a can, cheese that is more plastic than milk, etc… ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-round-or-square/599164/42 "2011-10-11T14:32:30Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > The appearance is a factor. In the cooking biz we say ‘First you taste with the eyes’. I know they say that, but when have you ever decided that you’d prefer something that looks better over something that tasted better? That said, since I like having a handle, I choose round. Square pizza you have to either fold up or eat with a fork. And pizza in my mind is a convenience food. Except the homemade Bisquick kind. But then you just pick the shape that’s the easiest to cook, which is usually a roundish, squarish blob. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-round-or-square/599164/43 "2011-10-11T15:49:50Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I know they say that, but when have you ever decided that you’d prefer something that looks better over something that tasted better? > > That said, since I like having a handle, I choose round. Being a cook, I’m not oriented that way. But also as a cook, I’ve seen the effect work. If you are selling pizza, you are selling it to a mass of people who aren’t doing blind taste tests. I also prefer round for the handling aspect. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-round-or-square/599164/44 "2011-10-11T17:16:27Z")
“This pizza tastes too square!” “The cake is a (pizza) pie.” ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-round-or-square/599164/45 "2011-10-11T18:05:38Z")
Another vote for round but cut into grid squares. (from Ohio) ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-round-or-square/599164/46 "2011-10-15T11:47:11Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > It is called a pizza pie, not pizza… cake. Firstly, not around here it’s not (Pies are filled with meat and traditionally purchased from petrol stations or at sporting events ;)), and secondly, cakes are just as likely (if not more so) to be round than square IME. So pizza should definitely be round. Square pizza is acceptable, but it’s the sort of thing I’d expect from some uber-trendy Eatery Of The Moment which doesn’t use currency signs on the menu. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-round-or-square/599164/47 "2011-10-15T13:16:28Z")
In my experience, pizzas are made square for geometric efficiency. One of the best pizza places in Champaign IL when I was in college (Garcia’s) always made their slices in huge rectangular pans, leading to efficient oven usage and rectangular slices. And when I was a kid growing up, we always made our pizzas in large cookie sheets, because we could get more of them in the oven at the same time than round pans. It doesn’t really affect the taste. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-round-or-square/599164/48 "2011-10-15T22:30:59Z")
No, pizza are round. _Pie_ are square. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-round-or-square/599164/49 "2011-10-15T22:47:14Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > No, pizza are round. _Pie_ are square. No, pie are round. Cornbread are square. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-round-or-square/599164/50 "2011-10-15T23:01:08Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Round, but cut into squares in a grid pattern. Yes, I’m from Chicago. This answer is the accurate answer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-round-or-square/599164.md?page=2)