Italy vs America, the pizza war

Our topic for this article regards one of the most famous (and eaten) dishes in the world: pizza. And who to better talk about it that the true experts of pizza itself: Pizzable? Today we teamed up to discuss a much debated question: is New York pizza better than the Italian one? Let’s compare them and see!

NYC style

Don’t you dare saying pizza is Italian! Pizza is a typical New York food!

Pizza became most popular in America after soldiers stationed in Italy returned from World War II. While pizza was created in Italy, it’s safe to say that it evolved and reached peak interest in the US. During the latter half of the 20th century, pizza became an iconic dish of considerable popularity in the United States, many regional variations of pizza in the United States have been developed, many bearing only a casual resemblance to the Italian original.

By 1950, pizza had become one of the most popular members of the American food family. It was the perfect meal to order, pick up and eat at home on nights parents were too tired to cook. It was easy to eat, great for groups, and very popular with teenagers and college kids.

A key difference between the American and Italian versions is the type of sauce used. In the US, a slow-cooked tomato sauce is used. Some restaurants create their own tangy recipes to give their pizzas a unique taste that you can’t find anywhere else.However, this is not the case in Italy, to the surprise of many an American visitors. Instead, you are more likely to find olive oil, pureed fresh tomatoes, garlic, and oregano on your pizza. This gives the pizza a fresh, herby taste that infuses the crust underneath.

Not all crust is made equal. There’s a large difference between Italian pizza and American pizza and it all starts with the crust. Most Italian pizzerias skillfully stretch out dough to the point where it resembles a cracker with tomato sauce and cheese on it. It’s so thin and light that many people eat a whole pie by themselves. American pizza crusts, come in a variety of thicknesses and styles, from a thin, authentic crust to yeasty, doughy crusts filled with flavor-enhancing meats or cheeses. Regional pizzas aren’t just restricted to where they originated though. Even in places not known for their pizza, you can usually find a “NY style” pizzeria or two. The U.S., unlike Italy, also has a large number of chain pizzerias that have their own unique twists on crust.

American pizza is heavily laden with toppings, with nearly everything being considered an option, Americans have such diverse taste buds that pizzerias are required to offer a whole slew of toppings and cheeses. In fact, mixing toppings is part of the American evolution. They now have Hawaiian (ham and pineapple), Cajun (shrimp and Cajun seasoning), and “Everything” (needs no explanation).

No other country offers as much variety as in the United States. Whether it’s a meat lover’s special, the works, or something in between, American pizza is unlike any other pizza in the world.

The Italian Way

Italians take their cuisine very seriously, but most of all their pizza is untouchable. So when travelling there, no matter what happens, you should never criticize it, or worse, compare it to the American pizza.

Pizza is a major part of the Italian food culture, so important, that Italy even insisted on having the Neapolitan Pizza registered by the European Union as a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed Dish in 2009.

The authentic Neapolitan one should be made with San Marzano tomatoes and mozzarella di bufala Campana (that’s only if you’re already in Napoli, though), but still a lot of pizzerias throughout Italy try to be as faithful to the tradition as possible, differing only in some details (thickness of the crust, variety of toppings and so on).

In order to pass on the proper way to make pizza to the following generations, in 1984 the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) came to life, creating a network of certified pizza makers and suppliers to protect this tradition. There is even an international regulation, because the intent of this non-profit association is to promote and protect this (heavenly) food worldwide! It offers courses and specific training also in the States, for example in Los Angeles at the Accademia della Pizza Napoletana (also Brad Pitt went there. Just sayin’), with different levels depending on the interest of the student.

Of course, one of the musts to become a certified Neapolitan pizzaiolo, is that to have a wood burning oven (gas ovens owners are taken into considerations only if located in cities where burning ovens are banned, as for example in Venice).

This just proves that not only Italians care about their pizza, but they care about yours too, trying to divulge their knowledge as much as possible.

And if one pizza is not enough for you, Italians came up with a concept called pizza by the meter, which is exactly what it sounds: you don’t get the classic, round pizza, but a more elongated one instead, long.. Well, almost as much as you want, with different toppings too!

Nowadays there’s a pizza for everyone (vegetarians, vegans, celiacs..), so you have no excuse, you’ll always find something you’ll like!

Just be careful for one thing: when coming to Italy, never order a pepperoni pizza, unless you want peppers on top. This common mistake lead a lot of (mostly American) tourists to be quite disappointed upon seeing peppers instead of salami on their pizza, and you definitely don’t want your favourite topping to be lost in translation!

So, to answer our question: no pizza is better than the other, they’re just different (and delicious) in their own way!