# Square-Cut Pizza **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 9, 2001, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089 "2001-01-09T01:17:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/21 "2001-01-09T15:26:12Z")
Whenever I order a thin crust pizza from Domino’s, it comes square-cut rather than wedge-cut. No idea why. ---
**Author:** ![c\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/22 "2001-01-09T15:58:04Z")
So what do you get if you order a “slice” of pizza? Do they have different prices for the middle/edges since they would be of significantly different sizes? How many cuts do they make? Info please! ---
**Author:** ![Spritle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Spritle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spritle)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/23 "2001-01-09T16:16:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by evilhanz \* > \*\* > > Here’s the answer as suggested by Ledo Pizza, a chain of pizza restaurants primarily based in Maryland. > > > [@](#): > > > > People often ask why LEDO Pizza is rectangular. The round pizza pans commonly seen today were very new in the fifties. Rectangular baking pans were readily available, hence the square pizza. Since that time, round pans have become the rage as pizza operators are able to cut costs by giving the appearance of more, while actually offering less. > > \*\* According to their advertising, “Ledo’s pizza is square because they don’t cut corners.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/24 "2001-01-09T16:21:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jackmannii \* > \*\*In the late '70s a very fine example of the square-cut pizza was offered by Pagliai’s of Grinnell, Iowa. They have since expanded to Des Moines. \*\* I know of a Pagliai’s in Carbondale, IL. I don’t know if it is the same “chain” or not. Very good pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/25 "2001-01-09T21:45:47Z")
**c\_goat** wrote: > [@](#): > > So what do you get if you order a “slice” of pizza? Do they have different prices for the middle/edges since they would be of significantly different sizes? How many cuts do they make? Info please! Pizza-by-the-slice comes in radial slices. That’s how you know it’s pizza-by-the-slice. I always thought it was wierd how people on television always ate pizza-by-the-slice. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/26 "2001-01-09T22:27:45Z")
Marion’s Piazza is the #1 pizza joint here (Dayton, OH), and they cut the pizza into squares by default. They’ve been cutting their pizzas this way for 30 years. ---
**Author:** ![Palandine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/958977/32.png) [@Palandine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palandine)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/27 "2001-01-09T22:36:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GaryM \* > \*\*In St. Louis, square cut pizza is popular. One of the local outfits, IMO’S, advertises “the square beyond compare”. \*\* Imo’s, eeeewwwwww! (which makes me a St. Louis heretic, I guess) They use _Provel_ cheese, which I’ve been told is a strictly St. Louis thing-- a hybrid of provolone and mozzarella that i think has really tacky melting qualities. Give me Pizza-A-Go-Go or Fortel’s Pizza Den (both also square cut) any old day of the week for St. Louis pizza. heck, give me Papa John’s. No answer for the OP. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/28 "2001-01-09T22:41:14Z")
In Buffalo, pizza in the form of a large rectangle, cut into squares, is very common – it’s called “party pizza” in the local vernacular. Round pizza in Buffalo is often cut into 10 or 12 “strips,” rather than wedge-shaped slices as is the norm elsewhere in the country. ---
**Author:** ![Skwerl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Skwerl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skwerl)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/29 "2001-01-09T23:11:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Palandine \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by GaryM \* > > \*\*In St. Louis, square cut pizza is popular. One of the local outfits, IMO’S, advertises “the square beyond compare”. \*\* > > Imo’s, eeeewwwwww! (which makes me a St. Louis heretic, I guess) > > They use _Provel_ cheese, which I’ve been told is a strictly St. Louis thing-- a hybrid of provolone and mozzarella that i think has really tacky melting qualities. > > Give me Pizza-A-Go-Go or Fortel’s Pizza Den (both also square cut) any old day of the week for St. Louis pizza. heck, give me Papa John’s. > > No answer for the OP. 🙂 \*\* _Gasp!_ Being a St. Louis native, I’ve grown up on square slices. I’ve come to equate square with quality, actually. And provel is the best cheese for pizzas, IMHO. I’d take a thin square topped with provel over a fat triangle topped with mozzarella. Provel melts smoother. Anyway, legend has it Imo’s does squares because Ed Imo, the founder, was formerly a tile layer, and subconciously sliced the pizza into squares, like tiles. I don’t know the veracity of that tale, but it sounds good. ---
**Author:** ![mblackwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mblackwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mblackwell)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/30 "2001-01-09T23:48:39Z")
> [@](#): > > When Pizza Hut was offering the “Edge” pizza, it was a circular pizza cut into squares. I sort of liked it; the crusty bits at the edges were nice and snacky, and the middle pieces didn’t have all that excess crust that gets in the way while you’re trying to enjoy the sensation of blisteringly hot pizza sauce sliding out from under the cheese and onto the back of your hand. It wasn’t nearly as good as Donato’s, the Ohio chain that sued Pizza Hut over the “Edge” trademark. ---
**Author:** ![mblackwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mblackwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mblackwell)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/31 "2001-01-09T23:51:26Z")
I forgot to say that a Donato’s advertizment says they cut it into pieces instead of slices because “thats where the word ‘pizza’ comes from.” ---
**Author:** ![tbea925](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@tbea925](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tbea925)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/32 "2001-01-10T00:10:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by troub \* > I know of a Pagliai’s in Carbondale, IL. I don’t know if it is the same “chain” or not. Very good pizza. \*\* [homervoice]Mmmmmmmm. Pag’s Pizza[/homervoice]. Reminisces about too many nights at the Hangar. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/33 "2001-01-10T16:00:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Philster \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by stuyguy \* > > \*\*Square pizza = “Sicilian” pizza > > > > Take it from an Brooklynborn Italian-American. \*\* > > Ay! Sicilian pizza is also know for having a fuller crust. > > Stuyguy, these “Americans” (ah-meh-ti-cans) don’t have a clue. > > Real pizza is either round with a thin crust , Neopolitan (Nap-lo-tan), or Sicilian. > > Anything else is bogus. Chicago…ha…give me a break. > > The best Neopolitan pizza comes from down da shore on da boardwalk. The best sicilian comes from neighborhoods in New Yawk, Philly, and such. > > Ignorant midwesterners. \*\* Actually, pizza was _invented_ in Chicago. By a Mexican guy, no less. Italy…ha…give me a break. Ignorant Europeans. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/34 "2001-01-10T16:53:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\*Actually, pizza was _invented_ in Chicago. By a Mexican guy, no less. > > Italy…ha…give me a break. > Ignorant Europeans. 🙂 \*\* Oops. It seems _deep dish_ pizza was invented in Chicago in the early 20th century. Thin-crust pizza seems to have originated in Naples in the 1600’s (after the Neopolitans decided American tomatoes were pretty good grub to put on thin bread). I stand corrected (by myself). ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/35 "2001-01-10T18:46:04Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Palandine \* \*\* > [@](#): > > Imo’s, eeeewwwwww! (which makes me a St. Louis heretic, I guess) > > They use _Provel_ cheese, which I’ve been told is a strictly St. Louis thing-- a hybrid of provolone and mozzarella that i think has really tacky melting qualities. > > Give me Pizza-A-Go-Go or Fortel’s Pizza Den (both also square cut) any old day of the week for St. Louis pizza. heck, give me Papa John’s. > > No answer for the OP. 🙂 \*\* Fortel’s is great pizza. But I live in North County and it’s quite a haul to get there. Had it once and liked it! Would go again. ---
**Author:** ![yamo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecae2f/32.png) [@yamo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yamo)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/36 "2001-01-10T19:35:22Z")
Grew up in NYC. Been to Chicago. Chicago don’t know from pizza. I got your deep dish right here! Chicago pizza is a calzone with amnesia. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/37 "2001-01-10T20:27:48Z")
> [@](#): > > - Originally posted by evilhanz\* \*\*a round baking pan, which I’ve never seen \*\* Have you ever been to pizza hut? > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Max Torque_ \*\*Whenever I order a thin crust pizza from Domino’s, it comes square-cut rather than wedge-cut. No idea why. > \*\* If you pile a couple toppings on a thin crust pizza and cut it into wedges it will break when you pick it up. -Cisco the pizza guru ---
**Author:** ![PeeQueue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8797f3/32.png) [@PeeQueue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PeeQueue)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/38 "2001-01-10T22:19:04Z")
Chicago style pizza? Bah! Who wants that junk? In my day, there was 2 pizza parlors on every block, and every one was better than the last. I’ve never found better pizza anywhere than there was where I grew up in Brooklyn. PeeQueue (Just trying to stir up the rivalry a bit more.) ---
**Author:** ![Zor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/848f3c/32.png) [@Zor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zor)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/39 "2001-01-10T23:31:00Z")
All this reminds me of something I read a few years ago… some Chinese company sued an Italian company for claiming that pizzas were invented in Italy. Their argument was that when Marco Polo staying in China, he loved a Chinese dish where meat and vegetables were placed on a round piece of dough and baked. When he returned to Italy, he tried to reproduce that dish, but didn’t have the necessary ingredients. He ended up using whatever he could find, and then topped it all off with cheese, and voilà, pizza as we know it was born, all ripped off from the Chinese 😃 ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2001, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089/40 "2001-01-11T00:21:49Z")
Please keep the “my pizza is better than your pizza” stuff in IMHO and the “remember this place?” stuff in MPSIMS. Thank you [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/square-cut-pizza/49089.md?page=1)