# Types of pizza **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [March 25, 2021, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716 "2021-03-25T19:35:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [March 25, 2021, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/1 "2021-03-25T19:35:31Z")
Let’s look at all the varieties of things people call pizza. This is not a thread about what constitutes a legitimate pizza. As long as at least two people (hopefully a bit more than that) call something a pizza, then for the purposes of this thread, it is a type of pizza. Provide enough explanation to disambiguate different styles with the same name. When it comes to toppings, let’s just list each one or any combination just once. We don’t have to repeat every type of pizza with every combination of the possible toppings. Example: Pepperoni Pizza That covers every type of pizza with pepperoni on it. A couple of types to get it started: Sicilian (New York and Philadelphia style) - Thick doughy crust cooked in a pan. Party Pizza (a Rhode Island thing) - AKA Pizza Strips, a rectangular pizza, medium thick crust with only tomato sauce, no cheese or toppings, served at room temperature. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/2 "2021-03-25T19:43:02Z")
For me, a pizza must have 3 basic components: a crust, sauce, and cheese. The two main families are meat and veggie. The former is usually sausage or pepperoni or both. Veggie is usually green peppers or mushrooms or black olives or a combination of all three. Crossovers are allowed; i.e., sausage and green pepper or whatever. After that, I’m leery about what you want me to eat. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/3 "2021-03-25T19:54:01Z")
Green peppers on anything are an abomination! ---
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/4 "2021-03-25T19:59:20Z")
A restaurant (not explicitly Italian) where I grew up offers Pizza _Squisito_. A crust that resembles hardtack, topped with tomato sauce, bacon, fried eggs, onions, parsley, and cheese. Needless to say, that’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten under the name of pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/5 "2021-03-25T20:00:43Z")
Anyone up for bacon cheeseburger pizza or taco pizza? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/6 "2021-03-25T20:10:07Z")
Chicago-style: deep dish, especially the stuffed pizza originated by Pizzeria Uno. St. Louis-style: very thin cracker-like crust. I don’t know if it has a proper name but I’ve had a Chicago-style/St. Louis-style hybrid in New Orleans. Very thick around the edge and very thin in the center; they were quite good. ISTR _People_ Magazine voted Mama Rosa’s Little Slice of Italy #7 in the country at some point but I think Katrina put them out of buisiness. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/7 "2021-03-25T20:16:56Z")
Where do we draw the line between pizza-style other things and other-thing-style pizza? Like, is a pizza bagel a pizza? A pizza Hot Pocket? A pizza steak (cheesesteak with mozzarella and tomato sauce)? ---
**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:** [March 25, 2021, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/8 "2021-03-25T20:20:53Z")
I guess a pizza bagel could be a pizza. The proof is when people call it a pizza. I’m not so sure about pizza bagels in particular, but I don’t ever recall a Hot Pocket or pizza steak being called a pizza. But curse you! Now I want a pizza steak and there is no good version of that around here. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/9 "2021-03-25T20:55:15Z")
Detroit style pizza > **[Detroit-style pizza](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit-style_pizza)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > Detroit-style pizza is a rectangular pizza with a thick crust that is crispy and chewy. It is traditionally topped with Wisconsin brick cheese that goes all the way to the edges and caramelizes against the high-sided heavyweight rectangular pan. This style of pizza was originally baked in rectangular steel trays designed for use as automotive drip pans or to hold small industrial parts in factories. It was developed during the mid-twentieth cen... ---
**Author:** ![EastUmpqua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eastumpqua/32/6025_2.png) [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/10 "2021-03-25T21:03:20Z")
Abby’s meat lover’s pizza: > **[Meat Lover's Pizza - Picture of Abby's Legendary Pizza, Grants Pass -...](https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g51891-d5058752-i232186058-Abby_s_Legendary_Pizza-Grants_Pass_Oregon.html)** > > Abby's Legendary Pizza, Grants Pass Picture: Meat Lover's Pizza - Check out Tripadvisor members' 6 candid photos and videos of Abby's Legendary Pizza ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/11 "2021-03-25T22:04:45Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > stuffed pizza originated by Pizzeria Uno. Nope > By the mid-1970s, two Chicago chains, [Nancy’s Pizza](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Franchise_Systems,_Inc.), founded by Rocco Palese,[[10]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago-style_pizza#cite_note-10) and [Giordano’s Pizzeria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giordano%27s_Pizzeria), operated by brothers Efren and Joseph Boglio, began experimenting with deep-dish pizza and created the stuffed pizza.[[11]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago-style_pizza#cite_note-11) Palese based his creation on his mother’s recipe for scarciedda, an Italian [Easter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter) pie from his hometown of [Potenza](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potenza).[[12]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago-style_pizza#cite_note-12) _Chicago Magazine_ articles featuring Nancy’s Pizza and Giordano’s stuffed pizza popularized the dish. Stuffed and deep dish are 2 different things! > According to Tim Samuelson, Chicago’s official cultural historian,[[3]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago-style_pizza#cite_note-3) there is not enough documentation to determine with certainty who invented Chicago-style deep-dish pizza.[[4]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago-style_pizza#cite_note-4) It is often reported that Chicago-style deep-dish pizza was invented at [Pizzeria Uno](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uno_Chicago_Grill) in Chicago, in 1943,[[5]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago-style_pizza#cite_note-autogenerated1-5) by Uno’s founder [Ike Sewell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ike_Sewell). However, a 1956 article from the _[Chicago Daily News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Daily_News)_ asserts that Uno’s original pizza chef Rudy Malnati developed the recipe,[[6]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago-style_pizza#cite_note-6) and Michele Mohr from the _[Chicago Tribune](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Tribune)_ reports that Saverio Rosati’s descendants say that the menu is still the same today (including deep-dish) as when [Rosati’s Authentic Chicago Pizza](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosati%27s_Authentic_Chicago_Pizza) opened in 1926.[[7]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago-style_pizza#cite_note-7) .[Chicago-style pizza - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago-style_pizza) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/12 "2021-03-25T22:50:05Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > Stuffed and deep dish are 2 different things! Thank you! (One can, though, argue that stuffed is a subset of deep dish, but there are restaurants, like Connies, that have both stuffed and deep dish as discrete categories on their menu. It depends on how you want to set up your taxonomy. And then there are pizzas that don’t quite fit, like Pequod’s which is more a pan pizza, but often is put in the deep dish category.) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/13 "2021-03-25T23:00:23Z")
French bread pizza! [![](https://img1.mashed.com/img/gallery/we-finally-have-stouffers-iconic-french-bread-pizza-recipe/intro-1589230954.jpg) ](https://img1.mashed.com/img/gallery/we-finally-have-stouffers-iconic-french-bread-pizza-recipe/intro-1589230954.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/14 "2021-03-25T23:06:33Z")
Red Baron used to sell an excellent breakfast pizza. No long, alas. Here is a recipe for one - I have not made it, so this is not a testimonial. > **[Breakfast Pizza - Egg, Sausage, & Cheese Pizza Recipe](https://showmetheyummy.com/breakfast-pizza/)** > > Breakfast pizza done right! A pre-made pizza crust topped with creamy eggs, bell peppers, onion, sausage, and two types of cheese! ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/15 "2021-03-25T23:27:25Z")
In the Philly area there is an abomination called a tomato pie (to distinguish it from a proper pizza). Always large and rectangular (like a sheet cake), a thick bread-like crust (thicker than Sicilian), tomato sauce, and grated Parmesan/Romano cheese (no mozzarella). Served room temperature, not hot. Only really see them at large gatherings, usually with lots of kids. Nothing worse than spying what from a distance looks like a Sicilian pizza from across the room only to get there to find a tomato pie. ETA to clarify something in the OP: A Philly-style pizza is _not_ a Sicilian pizza. Proper Philly style pizzas are called Neapolitan and are the traditional large, round, hand tossed pizza with thin crust. Sicilian pizza is common around Philly, but it is not dominant. ---
**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:** [March 25, 2021, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/16 "2021-03-25T23:37:51Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > ETA to clarify something in the OP: A Philly-style pizza is _not_ a Sicilian pizza. Proper Philly style pizzas are called Neapolitan and are the traditional large, round, hand tossed pizza with thin crust. Sicilian pizza is common around Philly, but it is not dominant. I was referring only to the Sicilian pizzas found there. The most common pizzas in the area are definitely Neapolitan pizzas with many of the pizzerias started by immigrants from Naples. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/17 "2021-03-26T00:19:24Z")
There’s something called a Zanzibar pizza that vendors sell in the touristy parts of Zanzibar. It differs pretty wildly from what we would think of as a pizza, but it is a thing that people call pizza, so I guess it counts for this thread. It consists of a fried crepe-like thing with toppings piled on top. > **[The Wildly Inventive 'Pizzas' of Zanzibar](https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/zanzibar-pizza)** > > These crispy pancakes get packed with everything from squid to Snickers. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/18 "2021-03-26T01:11:18Z")
Oh, we’re just naming styles here. When I’m heading out west from Chicago to visit my friend in Iowa City or otherwise find myself on 80 or 88 in that part of the state, I try to drop in to one of the Quad Cities pizza joints, for a Quad City-style pizza. > **[What Is Quad City-Style Pizza? - Slice Pizza Blog](https://blog.slicelife.com/what-is-quad-city-style-pizza/)** > > Want to know more about Quad City-style pizza? The Sauce has you covered, with lots and lots of cheese. Everybody get up, it’s time to eat now. What makes it Quad City style? The crust features a good bit of malt or molasses in it, so it browns better and has a bit of a nutty kind of taste to it. It’s usually medium thick and somewhat chewy. The cut you see in the picture there is a common one with pizzerias there, but some do cut it in pie slices. If you can’t see it in the thumbnail well, it’s cut into strips rather than slices or squares, usually with scissors. Other quirks include the sausage there is often loose and granular, as opposed to cut into slices (as you may see in NY and elsewhere) or put on in clumps like you see most places. So it’s the texture of, say, a skillet full of ground meat that’s been broken up. Sausage crumbles, if you will. I enjoy it, and the style is enjoyed enough by folks outside that area that Chicago has a restaurant, Roots, that specializes in Quad Cities-style pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/19 "2021-03-26T02:40:12Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > > [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > > > ETA to clarify something in the OP: A Philly-style pizza is _not_ a Sicilian pizza. Proper Philly style pizzas are called Neapolitan and are the traditional large, round, hand tossed pizza with thin crust. Sicilian pizza is common around Philly, but it is not dominant. > > I was referring only to the Sicilian pizzas found there. The most common pizzas in the area are definitely Neapolitan pizzas with many of the pizzerias started by immigrants from Naples. I figured that’s what you meant, just wanted to clarify. I also note that the tomato pie I mention sounds a lot like your Party Pizza, just with a dusting of grated Parmesan. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716/20 "2021-03-26T02:59:36Z")
How about home made? I have been making my own crust and sauce for years. Since I came down with gout, I now make my own fresh pepperoni and Italian sausage, sort of. I just looked up recipes for home made pepperoni and Italian sausage and added the spices (sans nitrates) to fresh chicken in a food processor. It tastes really good and my toes don’t mind it. My crust is a bit thicker than Pizza King crust but is otherwise a good chewy crispy approximation. The sauce is thick with a classic garlic and oregano flavor. Onions and bell peppers (ripe ones, but green will do in a pinch) and mozzarella and parmesan round it out. Yum. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-pizza/938716.md?page=2)