Why is pizza the favorite dish of so many Americans? Because there are tons of permutations on the pie, split into a number of different styles. Like affordable white wine or Italian pasta, pizza is a world unto itself, jam-packed with changing flavors, nuance, and regional flair.
Good bread, cheese, and tomato sauce can go a long way. And that’s just the conventional pizza of old. These days, aspiring cooks are throwing all kinds of unique twists za’s way, from specialty doughs to ingredients more associated with Asian cuisine. Pizza being pizza, these countless takes almost always turn out appetizing.
So while Spokane-style pizza never may be a full-on national thing — and there are surely more near-trends to follow — there are some core styles you need to do if you’re into noshing slices in the States.
Here are the most popular pizza styles in the U.S.
California
As you might expect, California-style pizza is a bit more health-conscious. Pizza can only be so healthy, but part of the movement involves seasonal ingredients like fresh vegetables. There’s another tier, too, and one that’s equally L.A. in that it’s completely over the top. Fine dining establishments in SoCal have been known to throw things like caviar at their pizzas, making them more appealing to the Beverly Hills crowd. Overall, though, as with every pizza style, it’s about regionality. Los Angeles is a beachy, warm place. You don’t want heavy pizza as thick as your encyclopedia set. Instead, thinner crust, fresh produce, local cheeses, and, yes, probably avocado.
Chicago
The kind of pizza you eat with a fork and knife, Chicago style is basically za hot dish. Let’s get back to regionality. Windy City winters are bitter, and people just want to hibernate. The best way to do so is by fattening up on a deep dish pie with its crackly crust and cheesy core. Many local renditions involve tons of mozzarella, peppers, and sausage. The pizza is baked in a deep dish pan and often several inches in height. Take the thing out of the oven, throw it on a cake plate for all to behold, and then get down to business.
Detroit
Detroit style pizza came to prominence about a decade ago, taking that rectangular Little Caesars-esque shape to new heights. The caramelized corners of this style are sent straight from the heavens, the kind of rich and salty comfort food that can haunt you in the best of ways. While thicker, Detroit pizza is deceptively sprightly, and the sauce, of which there tends to be a lot, is applied at the end. You end up with a cheesy, pepperoni-ridden pizza under a thick blanket of tomato sauce and it’s, well, lovely.
New Haven
A bit more nuanced, New Haven stands out in the way the pizza is cooked. Created over charcoal, the za looks like the clothes of a chimney sweep. In other words, there’s a healthy amount of char, affording color and flavor. The makeup is thin and the dough tends to be on the chewy side. Because of the extremely hot heat thrown by these ovens, New Haven pizza cooks fast. And leave it to the sea-loving Connecticuters to add things like fresh clams to their famous creations.
New York
Maybe the grandaddy of all, outside of going to the category’s motherland in Italy, New York style pizza is iconic. The perfect byproduct of Italian-American culture, this pizza is large and in charge. Think big slices made from flour dough, thrown by hand in bustling pizzerias up and down the metropolis. The crust is thin save for the pillowy edges and local tend to fold colossal slices in half over a greasy paper plate before taking the first bite. Welcome to classic Americana.
Others
A few other styles are of note, including St Louis style, which involves local cheese and an extremely thin crust. Then there’s Buffalo, a hybrid of sorts that pretty much splits the difference between New York and Chicago (again, regionality). Some would argue for Texas style, built around barbecue sauce and meaty toppings. None have quite reached the prominence of the above, but that doesn’t mean they won’t.
There are surely more to come, and that’s part of the fun. Like coffee, gin, or wine, pizza is all about terroir, and every place has a distinctive say in how it is enjoyed. It’s not too late to make up your very own pizza style, one that reflects the ingredients and cooking styles of your backyard.
While we’re still on the topic, check out our guide on how to make Neapolitan-style pizza at home and Roman-style pinsa, another variation. Pizza is a wormhole worth diving head first into, not to mention downright delicious.
