Pizza styles
the index
The world of pizza is in continuous expansion. New styles born every while: some of them take a spot in the food History; some other doesn’t reach any fame. Hard to say which style of pizza is the best in the world, everyone has his own opinions about… The following list of different styles of pizza is based on my experience, based on my work and travel around the world, making pizza, bread and several baked products.
Neapolitan Style pizza
Here we have the original idea that spread around the world in different forms. Inspiring chefs and baker in new creations. The majority of the styles that I mention in this page are connected, in some way, with the Neapolitan.
NeapolitanNew York Style pizza
By the slice was the way to go in New York in the early 1900. Still today tho.
Compared to the Neapolitan, you must change the cheese, the sauce, the dough recipe. You do not eat, typically, the New York-style pizza right out of the oven, but wormed up in a second time. The pizza chef needs to create a product with a longer shelf life. New York Style pizza is perfect to eat by the slice, or to take away.
Teglia Romana
Just a few decades after New York style was born. A new trend was growing in Rome, but this time it came from the baker’s mindset. The pizza “teglia Romana” or “pizza al taglio” is street food with a nice firm crust that holds fresh toppings. The pizza cooks in a big pizza pan then cut and sold in a square or rectangular shape. Warmed up on the spot and ready to be eaten while walking on the street. High hydration dough guarantees a long shelf life and the right product every time it is warmed up.
Teglia RomanaPizza Romana
Pizza Romana is the flat crunchy version of the Neapolitan.
A thin layer crust holds a combination of simple toppings. Crunchy like a cracker, it is made fresh by order.
Traditional
Traditional is any pizza that is not Neapolitan. Because Neapolitan pizza has specific rules, wrote down in the AVPN international regulation: if a pizza does not fall in these rules, it is called traditional.
TraditionalNeoNeapolitan
I believe this is a style born in Los Angeles, as a reinterpretation of the Neapolitan. The main idea is to create an Instagram friendly product, with a charcoal leopard crust, with an intense taste, usually achieved by using sourdough.
NeoNeapolitanDetroit
This is a style that I like. I admire the product, and I love its story. I also wrote about it in a post on my Italian blog. This pizza is a massive hit of calories and taste at the same time. Detroit style is a descendant of the Sicilian pan pizza.
DetroitChicago
I just wrote that Detroit is a “huge hit of calories,” but far less than the Chicago. The 1st time I ordered this pie, I was super hungry. The waitress told me, “the pizza takes 45 minutes to cook”… really?. So I order an appetizer, even if the waitress strongly suggested not to order other stuff. I told her, “I am a professional; I will devour the appetizer and the pizza after it.” When the Chicago arrived at my table, I could only eat a slice (and I did not finish it, lol).
ChicagoThe Queen
The Queen is not a style. It is the pie that took me to the top step of the podium at the “Canadian Pizza Chef of the year” in 2018. I want to mention it because I used different techniques for dough preparation, which was quite interesting for those times. I mixed the Teglia Romana dough idea with the NeoNeapolitan style. 🙂
The QueenCanotto
Canotto pizza style is very controversial nowadays. Especially in Naples. The way to prepare this pizza created haters and lovers. The distinct element of this pie is the massive cornicione (The edge or lip of a pizza).
Canotto