Top Pizza Styles From Around the World
Is there any food more universally beloved than pizza in all its variations? In our recent survey, 65% of respondents chose cheese pizza over pepperoni, while a surprising 52% professed their love for pineapple as a topping.
From Italian thin crust to Chicago deep dish, wood-fired to grandma-style, pizza has adapted and evolved. Each region has put its own spin on this iconic food, creating a diverse array of pizza styles around the globe that reflect local ingredients, techniques and tastes.
This article will take you on a mouth-watering tour of some of the most iconic regional pizza variations. Get ready to explore the unique histories, signature ingredients and defining characteristics of pizza styles from Naples to New York to Chicago and beyond.
Neopolitan-Style Pizza
Neopolitan pizza is characterized by its soft, thin, crispy crust, with a slightly charred exterior and a tender, airy interior. This style originated in Naples, Italy, in the late 18th century. It is known for its simple, fresh ingredients and quick cooking time in a wood-fired oven.
The dough is made with highly refined Italian type 0 or 00 wheat flour, yeast, salt and water. It’s topped with San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and olive oil. One of the most famous Neopolitan-style variations is the iconic Margherita pizza, named after Queen Margherita of Italy. It is topped with fresh basil leaves, and the ingredients together represent the colors of the Italian flag. Other variations include Marinara, topped with oregano and garlic and Pizza Diavola, topped with salami.
New York-Style Pizza
NY-style pizza, known for its wide, thin, foldable crust, traces its roots back to the 19th century when Italian immigrants brought pizza-making skills to the city.
This style gained popularity and became a staple of the city’s culinary scene, with famous pizzerias like Lombardi’s, Totonno’s and Grimaldi’s leading the way.
The dough is made from wheat flour, water, salt, olive oil, and yeast. It is hand-tossed and stretched to create a broad, thin base. It’s topped with tomato sauce made from tomato paste and spices and then covered with grated mozzarella cheese. Additional toppings like pepperoni sausage, mushrooms and peppers are common.
Chicago-Style Pizza
Chicago not only has their famous deep dish pizza, but they also have the less famous “Chicago thin crust”. While it is not as well-known as the deep dish pizza, it is just as delicious. This crunchy pizza is normally cut into squares, or tavern cut. It is easy to eat and usually contains lots of tomato sauce, meats, and toppings.
California Style Pizza
Chicago is famous for two distinct pizza styles — deep dish and thin crust. Both styles emerged in the 1940s, with deep dish first served at Uno Pizzeria in 1943 and thin crust gaining popularity in local taverns and bars.
All Chicago-style pizza uses a wheat flour-based dough, but deep-dish often incorporates cornmeal or semolina for added texture and flavor. The pizzas are topped with mozzarella cheese and various toppings, such as Italian sausage, pepperoni, onions and mushrooms.
Chicago deep dish features a thick, buttery crust pressed into a deep pan and partially baked before adding cheese at the bottom, then the toppings and sauce. This pizza style grew popular nationwide, but the best, authentic deep-dish pizza can only be found in Chicago.
Chicago-style thin-crust pizza features a thin, crispy crust cut into tavern-style squares. Although it has been recreated across the country, many travel to the Windy City to try authentic Chicago tavern-style thin-crust pizza.
California-Style Pizza
California-style pizza is similar to a thin-crust New York Pizza. But instead of the traditional pizza toppings, vegetables and meats are used more often. It originated in San Francisco and gained popularity in the early 1980s. Chef Ed LaDou, working at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago restaurant in Los Angeles, is credited with inventing this style that combines Italian techniques with the state’s diverse culinary influences. This pizza variation put Spago on the map and turned Puck into one of the original celebrity chefs.
California-style pizza features fresh, seasonal and unique toppings like artichoke hearts, goat cheese, obscure meats like duck sausage and smoked salmon, and pineapple. The sauce varies from traditional tomato to pesto, alfredo, or olive oil and garlic.
Detroit-Style Pizza
Detroit-style pizza, known for its thick, rectangular crust with crispy, caramelized cheese edges, was first served at Buddy’s Rendezvous (later Buddy’s Pizza) in 1946. The style emerged when Gus Guerra used repurposed industrial blue steel pans to bake his pizzas, unintentionally creating a unique texture and flavor profile.
The dough is made using a high-hydration method that includes olive oil and bread flour, giving the crust a chewy, focaccia-like texture. The pizza is built in reverse order, starting with Wisconsin brick cheese, then pepperoni and other toppings and tomato sauce on top.
Grandma-Style Pizza
Grandma pizza originated in Long Island, NY, in the 1970s as an homage to the simple, homemade pizzas made by Italian-American grandmothers. This square, thin-crust pie has since gained popularity across the United States, with home cooks and pizzerias offering their interpretations.
The crust is made from a simple dough of flour, water, olive oil, salt and yeast, which is pressed into a well-oiled square pan. It is covered with rustic tomato sauce, grated mozzarella cheese, garlic, olive oil, fresh basil and occasionally pecorino romano cheese.
Other Pizza Styles Around the Globe
Apart from the above, there are countless other pizza variations worldwide. Brazilian pizza often features a thinner crust and unique toppings like hearts of palm and catupiry cheese. Indian pizza styles might incorporate paneer or tandoor chicken. In Italy, there are regional specialties like Roman-style pizza with its ultra-thin, crispy crust and Sicilian-style pizza with its thick, rectangle crust and anchovy or olive toppings.
Other notable styles in the United States are New England Greek and St. Louis styles. New England Greek-style pizza features a thick, oily crust topped with cheddar and mozzarella. The St. Louis style is known for its thin, crispy crust made with cornmeal and topped with Provel cheese.
These variations show an appreciation for the food and use the natural resources and traditions of their locations to create a unique flavor.
Partner With Feeser’s Food Distributors for Your Global Pizza Supplies
This article has taken you on a tour of pizza styles around the world, showcasing the incredible variety this popular food offers. If you’re a restaurant looking to expand your menu, add some of these regional specialties.
Feeser’s is your partner in creating a remarkable menu with global pizza supplies and ingredients. We offer everything from premium meats and cheeses to locally-grown produce to specialty items for unique and trendy toppings. Our team will help you find the right ingredients for your custom pizzas.
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