January Meme: Pizza preferences

[selenak]

bunnyboo did ask about my pizza preferences. They're very middle of the road for my part of the world. Meaning I go for the combination which usually shows up on menus as either Pizza Lucca or Pizza Speciale (mushrooms, salami, ham), or, when the pizza is served in rolled up form, as Pizza Calzone.

Now and then I like to experiment; so when it's the season for chanterelles, and a local Italian restaurant offers a pizza with chanterelles only, I go for that. Pizza with just Salami will also do in a pinch. I'm not a fan of Pizza Hawaii. Let's see, what else? Ah yes. I'm old enough to remember how surprised I was when the first Pizza Huts opened in Germany, and it turned out Americans ate their pizza with this really thick dough (crust?) underneath. In Germany, there's this rule of thumb: the thinner the crust, the better the pizza. (And then you go to Italy and realise the Italians think German pizza also has way too much dough, and does the arrangement with the toppings all wrong.) Anyway, living in Monaco di Bavaria as I do, I prefer my pizza bread thin, but I'm not hard core about it; when in the US, I eat what I can get.


The other days

Comments

[tree_and_leaf]

I mean, it depends on the American. Some of the styles you encounter are pretty thin!

[shadowkat]

Exactly. I've had paper thin pizza, deep dish pizza - which is akin to eating a quiche, or pie (that's Chicago Pizza, and the franchise that served it was Old Chicago's in the 1980s at least, Pizza Hut adopted it later), thick sheet pizza...on and on. There's about a 100 different styles in the US. And they fight over them. New York insists its pizza is best - in particular Grimaldi's which is a paper-thin pizza crust, with not overly much cheese, and various toppings - cooked in a special pizza oven. Then of course there are different styles of crust - almond crust (Cappellino's), rice crust, Against All Grain's Cheese Crust (no grains), wheat, etc. Toppings? Pineapple, mushroom, sausage, zucchini, ham, cheddar, jalapenos, pepperoni, on and on.

There's a place near me that I ordered from last year that had paper thin crust, tomatoes, fresh mozerrala cheese, and mushrooms. It's located in Brooklyn, NY.

[tree_and_leaf]

I think the thick-sheet franchise style is probably it's own thing by this stage! (It's been years since I was in a Pizza Hut, but I don't think British ones do Chicago style at all).

[shadowkat]

I can only go by the commercials - I've not been in a Pizza Hut since the early 1990s. But the commercials show deep dish pizza, and get this? Cheese baked inside the crust.

[musesfool]

Americans ate their pizza with this really thick dough (crust?) underneath

Minor correction - that is Chicago-style deep dish. That is not how regular pizza is in New York. (Sicilian pizza is thicker. And square.)

I'm sure I won't be the only one pointing this out. ;)

[shadowkat]

Yep, also Chicago Style crust is thick because it's mostly a pie, or like a quiche, with a deep filling. There's another style with thick crust - that is served at Pizza Hut and Dominoes - and often a sheet, not round.

Most pizza though is paper thin or thin - in places like NY. And you only really see deep dish at franchises like Pizza Hut.

[selenak]

You're not. :) So noted!

[bunnyboo]

Pizza is a hot button issue everywhere, it seems. :) I'm a plain Pepperoni kinda girl, but I love getting flavorful with the crusts. Mmm... now I'm getting hungry.

[selenak]

Hot button...So I am discovering. ;)

[jesuswasbatman]

What do you think of flammekuche?

I like the traditional (which purists would claim is the ONLY) topping of bacon, onions and cream cheese, but there's a restaurant in Berlin which does a really nice black pudding (Blutwurst) flammekuche.

[selenak]

Elsässer Flammenkuchen is delicious, but I am open to variations. Haven't tried Blutwurst yet!

[lilacsigil]

Pizza is a fraught topic! There's lots of different kinds here in Australia too, mostly depending on which part of Italy the chefs or their parents or grandparents are from, but I don't think we ever got the deep dish style.

[selenak]

Pizza is a fraught topic!

LOL, so I am discovering...

[bimo]

If I trust the restaurant, clearly Frutti di Mare. Otherwise Quattro Stagioni or Hawaii (yes, I know that Hawaii is an issue ;-)).

Not overly keen on cheese. Actually, I'd rather prefer a pizza with no cheese at all than one with too much of it.

Rather undecided on crust. If it's tasty, it's tasty, regardless how thick or thin.

[selenak]

Cheese and lack of same: How about Pizzabrot, then?