On the way to becoming America’s favorite food, the pizza has appeared in many different variations of the original tomato sauce, cheese and basil recipe. Even though pizza is now offered in an endless variety of shapes, sizes and ingredients, all pizzas have roots that can be traced back to one of a handful of original pizza recipes from Italy. Of course, the developing markets for pizza in the United States and the rest of the world have also produced variations on the original Italian themes, and those recipes have evolved into what we consider to be the classic pizzas of today.

Old world pizzas came in two main variants, Pizza Napoletana and Pizza Lazio. The Pizza Napoletana or Neapolitan pizzas are the oldest type and are regulated by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana in Naples, Italy. The Associazione mandates that authentic Neapolitan pizzas are made with Italian wheat flour, natural Neapolitan yeast, salt and water. The Napoletano pies come in two flavors; Pizza Marinara, made with tomatoes, garlic, oregano and extra virgin olive oil and Pizza Margherita, made with tomato, sliced mozzarella, basil and extra-virgin olive oil.

The second old-world pizza type, Pizza Lazio or Roman-style pizza is made in one of two distinct shapes; Pizza Rustica baked in rectangular pans, and Pizza Taglio, served in the traditional round shape. Some of the more popular variations within the category of Roman-style Lazio pizzas include Pizza Romana, Pizza Viennese, Pizza Capricciosa and Sicilian-style pizza with garlic, basil, and oregano baked into the crust. Sicilian pizzas made in the United States are a different recipe and not considered the same as Italian Sicilian Pizza.

Pizza was first introduced to the United States in the big cities along the East Coast and then spread westward. Three distinct styles of pizzas evolved as the recipe was adapted to the tastes of Americans living in the eastern, mid-western and western areas of the country. Although many variations have appeared over the years, the biggest three styles in the United States today are New York Pizza, Chicago Pizza and California Pizza.

New York-style pizza was invented in New York City by immigrants from Naples and is sometimes called Neapolitan-American style pizza. It is hand-tossed with moderate amounts of sauce and cheese on a thin crust. New York-style is the most common style of pizza found across the United States today.

Chicago-style pizza features deep-dish construction and a thick crust with high, raised edges. Chicago pizza is also sometimes called Stuffed Pizza due to the large amount of ingredients included. Chicago-style deep-dish pizza is baked in a high-sided pan and eaten with a fork. The style is most prevalent throughout the Midwestern US today.

California-style pizzas are thin crust pies made with unique ingredients like non-traditional cheeses and a wide variety of vegetables and other fresh produce. Chicken, barbeque sauce, peanut sauce and carrots are popular California Pizza ingredients. The style was popularized by many of California’s most famous restaurants and can be found as a frozen product in many areas too.

Other Pizza Types Gaining Popularity –

Greek pizza is popular in New England and has a thick crust baked in a pan. Variations include feta cheese and Greek olives.

New Haven, Connecticut-style pizza has a thin crust topped only with garlic and hard cheese.  Tomato sauce and mozzarella are extras.

Buffalo, NY-style pizza is a bit of a compromise right between Chicago-style deep-dish and New York thin crust-style. This style is cooked at lower temperatures with more dough until it is crispy around the edges.

St. Louis-style pizza is a thin crust pie popular around St. Louis, Missouri and southern Illinois. St. Louis-style pizza utilizes Provel cheese instead of mozzarella.

Detroit-style pizza is baked in a deep-dish square pan with the toppings under the sauce.

Hawaiian-style pizza features Canadian bacon or ham, pineapple and mozzarella cheese. This pizza is very popular in the western United States, but not in Hawaii.

Taco-style pizza features ingredients borrowed from Mexican food such as beef, tomatoes, avocados, corn chips, cheddar cheese and sour cream