The comfort food, which originates in Naples, Italy, has been adopted by different people worldwide. Italians have also come up with several lists of the most delicious pizzas outside of Italy.
Pizza’s versatility makes it so widely loved, according to Fabio Errante, a famous Italian pizzaiolo (pizza maker) and the author of ” Fabioulous Pizza.” Errante states that he’s made more than 300,000 pizzas during his life.
“Pizza easily lends itself to extreme customization and fusion with other cultures and cuisines, and this explains why you will find a ‘pizzeria’ in every corner of the world,” said the writer in an email sent to CNN Travel.
Nino Coniglio Nino Coniglio, an experienced pizzaiolo and the proprietor of Brooklyn Pizza Crew and Williamsburg Pizza in New York City, agrees that pizza’s flexibility is well-liked.
It’s possible to make it with endless choices of toppings claims, and it allows people to design an ideal pizza to their taste.
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“Additionally, pizza is a social food that can be shared with friends and family, making it a perfect dish for gatherings and parties,” Coniglio adds.
Pizza can also be a food of comfort that can bring people together and trigger feelings of joy and happiness, the chef says.
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Check out some of the most renowned pizza types to sample from Italy and beyond, as well as variations of a pizza crust with toppings originating from different parts of the world.
Neapolitan pizza
Pizza is a staple food for Neapolitans, according to Naples, Italy, native Enzo Algarme, the co-founder and founder of Pupatella Pupatella. This Neapolitan pizzeria has multiple locations across Virginia. “Pizza has brought people together for generations,” Algarme also states. In Naples, there’s a pizza place in every area. “Italians cook all sorts of things at home, but pizza is the one thing Italians go out to eat,” Algarme says.
The Art of Neapolitan ‘Pizzaiuolo’ is officially recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) was founded in Naples in 1984 to “promote and protect in Italy and worldwide the true Neapolitan pizza,” According to the organization’s website, it insists that authentic Neapolitan pizza is served with peeled tomatoes crushed by hand, slices of fresh tomato buffalo mozzarella, fior di the latte(traditional mozzarella) fresh basil leaves, and extra olive oil.
The dough must be prepared by mixing water, salt, yeast, flour, and water by the AVPN, and the pizza is baked in an oven with wood burning. Another characteristic of authentic Neapolitan pizza is the elevated edges of the crust, also known as the cornicione.
Roman pizza
There are two kinds of pizza that are available in Rome, according to Henry Cunningham of The Roman Food Tour, which visits famous pizzerias, among other favorite restaurants, during its tours of Rome’s Prati and Trastevere neighborhoods. “Whole round pizza, called pizza tonda, and the rectangular pizza, al taglio, which means pizza by the slice.”
Pizza lovers travel from across the globe for Pizzarium located in Prati, which is owned by famous pastry chef Gabriele Bonci, who is one of Italy’s most well-known Pizzaioli (and an actor on”Chef’s Table: Pizza” on the Netflix show “Chef’s Table: Pizza”) and to sample pizza al taglio. Pizza al-taglio, Cunningham says. Choose the kind and the much you’d like (choosing among seasonal ingredients like artichokes and zucchini flowers). Your slice is cut using cutting tools in front of your eyes and priced based on the weight of your piece.
Different kinds of pizza are served as taglio by a baker in Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood.
P Izza tonda is “paper thin, and the edge is super crispy and not raised at all, although some bubbles are accepted,” according to Errante. The olive oil used is added to the dough, enhancing the crust’s crispness. The dough is typically made with a rolling pin, states, “in order to blow all the gas pockets in the dough that otherwise would make the pizza puff up while baking.”
“Whatever you do, don’t dream of asking for it with pineapple,” says Tatyana Serrano, a tour guide of the Roman Food Tour who says it’s a crime of the highest order.
Pizza Frittata
Pizza in Italy is also available with a deep-fried option called pizza frittata. It is a popular snack on the streets of Naples for pizza lovers who are okay with deviating from traditional Neapolitan pizza. Fried pizza became famous following the war, and the ingredients (including pizza-making ingredients like mozzarella and wood for heating ovens) were scarce.
The answer was to cook the pizza dough with pork fat and ricotta in, creating a puffier and more substantial result.
“The curious fact is that it doesn’t look like pizza at all,” Errante says about pizza fritta. Errante on pizza frittata. “The dough is usually stretched similarly to a regular pizza base, then all the ingredients your heart desires go in the middle of that base.”
Sometimes, it’s a round pocket, closed and folded; it appears like a fried version of a Calzone, says the man who made it.
Sicilian pizza
The same crust and thickness characterize Sicilian-style pizza as focaccia.
The name suggests that Sicilian pizza has its roots traced to Sicily, located off the southernmost tip of mainland Italy. As it traveled across the globe, including the United States, many characteristics of the original version remained with it, explains Errante.
Anywhere you can find Sicilian pizza, it’s in Sicily (including its capital city, Palermo, where it’s referred to as “sfincione palermitano”). The pizza is usually filled with strong-flavored ingredients, which could include capers, olives, or anchovies, Errante states. “But the common denominator is that this is a thick, soft pizza with a crispy bottom, and it’s baked in a tray,” Errante adds. The crust is thick and similar to focaccia.
Wood-fired pizza
Pizza eateries often distinguish their products by highlighting that pizzas are prepared in a wood-fired kitchen. Pizzas made with wood-fired ovens cooked in ovens with hardwoods such as beech, oak, or ash can be everywhere in the globe.
However, wood-fired pizzas are a variety of types, according to Errante. “The name only refers to the fuel used in the oven, as opposed to electricity or gas,” Errante explains. Pizzaiolo considers the heating properties of various kinds of wood (hardwoods are more efficient than softwoods, such as pine and spruce) when deciding which type to use for the oven.
“People like to think that wood gives some smokiness quality to the pizza,” Errante adds. “But that’s a wrong assumption as the pizza stays in the oven too little to be affected in any way.”
However, the crisp wood-fired crust certainly has its admirers.
Detroit-style pizza
Pizza made in Michigan & Trumbull in Detroit.
“Detroit-style pizza is one of the most trending styles of pizza in the United States right now,” says Derek Gaughan of Pala Pizza, the website that covers pizza ovens outdoors and pizza made from scratch.
It’s a pan pizza with a thick crust with toppings spread across the edges. There are two big strips of sauce atop the pizza, he adds. “The unique aspect is that it’s cooked in heavy-duty steel or aluminum pans with tall walls,” Gaughan declares. “As the pizza bakes, the cheese on the edge melts against the hot pan, creating a crispy edge.” As he describes, the dough will be “essentially focaccia, with a thick yet airy interior and a crispy golden brown exterior.”
Another distinctive feature characteristic of Detroit pizza is the sauce used and is usually served over the cheese rather than underneath, he adds (although it is up to the chef to decide if the dressing is applied before and after the baking). While Detroit Pizza is enjoying some frenzied time, pay attention to other Midwest favorite dishes such as St. Louis pizza, famous for its thin crust and cracker, and Columbus-style pizza that similarly carries its toppings up towards the edges of the circle pie.
New Haven-style pizza
Locals living in New Haven, Connecticut, are known as their version of Neapolitan pizza, “pizza” (pronounced ah-beetz). This is a name that was inspired by the dialect of Italian that is spoken throughout Naples, which was introduced into the area by the first immigrants.
Crispy and thin New Haven-style pizza is cooked in hot, scorching brick pizza ovens traditionally heated with coal, giving the crust that distinctive Charred look (don’t refer to it as burned).
One of the most popular places to go in New Haven is Sally’s Apizza, which has been in operation since 1938, and Pepe’s Pizzeria Napoletana, which has been in business since 1925. It is famous for its white clam pie consisting of mozzarella garlic, oregano, and generous amounts of clams from the littleneck.
Chicago deep-dish pizza
Even though Chicago deep dish pizza is the one many are familiar with, the Chicago-style pizza can cover many different types, including pizza with a stuffed crust and “Chicago thin,” says Steve Dolinsky, author of ” The Ultimate Chicago Pizza Guide.” Alongside deep dish pizza, as he adds, there’s also deep-pan pizza (the one that’s dough that is thicker and “breadier” dough).
The most authentic indicator for Chicago deep dish pizza is its biscuit-like dough, according to Dolinsky, in addition to the method by which the dough is formed across the sides of the pan before it is lowered towards the central part of the pizza. “Slices of mozzarella are placed on top of the dough to cover it and protect it from the sauce, and on top of that go the toppings-typically raw sausage, pinched and pressed onto the pie,” Dolinsky adds.
The tomato sauce is next, then dried oregano and grated Pecorino cheese. Chicago Deep dish pizzas were created in 1943 in the restaurant now known as Pizzeria Uno, Dolinsky says, and among the best places to try this taste in Chicago are My Pi and Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria.