Are You a Pizza Connoisseur?

I don’t know many people who don’t like pizza. Some people stick to their plain pie while others love an assortment of toppings. People are very picky about pizza and will discuss it at length if prompted. Conversations can sound like, “that pizza place makes it too thick, I prefer the place down the block that makes it thin and crispy.” or “well, I will only buy my pizza at the corner pizzeria because they have a wide variety of toppings and their tomato sauce is delicious”. Sometimes it’s all about the sauce, and sometimes it’s about thickness and crispiness. Pizza is a food that can create more disagreements among people who can usually eat peacefully at another kind of restaurant together. Pizza is a preferred taste.

I have had many discussions on pizza with friends and family. When I went to Italy this year everyone mentioned how the pizza there would be so different than what I was used to. I couldn’t imagine how. Pizza being one of my favorite foods, left me hesitant to try it in a country where pizza is best known for. You can’t drive through any town in the United States without spying many pizzerias and always associating them with Italy and delicious Italian food. It makes your mouth water. But in reality, the pizza in the United States is very different than the pizza in Italy.

Pizza became a meal thousands of years ago when people made flat bread and used it as a plate. The bread would soak up the juices from the meal. Then after eating the meal they would eat the soggy, delicious bread left on the plate. In Italy, they originally cooked their pizza on the floor of the oven in hot ashes. The bottom was black and the word “pizza” came from the Italian word for “black-bottomed pie”. One queen’s favorite food was pizza and her cook made it for her with tomatoes (red), cheese (white) and basil (green) to make it look like the Italian flag. Hence, the margarita pizza was born. When pizza came to America other toppings were added such as pepperoni, onions, peppers and now even fruit and pasta. This is not like the pizza you will find in Italy. Their toppings are very simple and traditional.

I will tell you that the pizza in Italy is completely different. It is best described as baked bread with toppings, not a lot of tomato sauce and a sparse amount of cheese. Americans tend to order pizza with extra cheese and cover every single morsel of the pizza with sauce and cheese. In Italy you enjoy the delicacy of the baked bread it is on. The added toppings are applied sparingly and are spiced for exquisite taste. Now not everyone likes bread like pizza so that is the reason that there are countless arguments between those who have eaten pizza in Italy and the United States.

As soon as I got back from Italy I wondered if I would eat pizza here again. Of course, I realized that I probably wouldn’t be returning to Italy any time soon so I better just go for it and eat pizza from my favorite pizzerias again. Yes, I do enjoy America’s version of Italian pizza but I now find myself comparing it to the ultimate pizza I indulged in throughout Italy. New York is known for having the best pizza in this country so I am lucky to have this pizza to come home to after my trip.

Next time you eat pizza please take note of what you love and what you don’t. Have you tried to duplicate the pizza at home? Have you tried different toppings or are you that person who doesn’t like to taste new toppings? It is perfectly normal to be a pizza snob and stick to your preferences. All I know is that pizza will always be my go to food any day I can have it.