Chicago the "Pizza Capital" of the World?

[Zap]

Authentic Italian pizza (In Italy) is tomato sauce on bread

[RangerJoe]

Someone took a look at a table loaded with food from around here and said that it looks like a taste of Europe!

[dje]

All this talk and the one thing I come away with is none of you guys have even had Chicago pizza

[Rosseau]

I can only write of my own experience, with great respect for Chicago deep-dish pizza. The best slice I ever had was visiting Utica, NY, in the early 1980s. Currently, the armpit of Upstate NY, but not always that way.

I do know one thing, however: In my 36 years in NE Ohio, nothing came remotely close to the definition of pizza! God bless.

And God help me (and He does), we are now in Louisville, KY. They don't have pizza here...

[RFalvo69]

ORIGINAL: dje

All this talk and the one thing I come away with is none of you guys have even had Chicago pizza

Chicago, no. American? Let's see... Washington D.C., New York ("Sbarro": does someone remember those? Are they still around?), San Francisco, Las Vegas...

In Las Vegas I was at the Paris resort after flying in from... Paris ("I crossed an ocean and a continent - and I'm still here"). There was this Italian restaurant called "Le Provençal" (I kid thee not). Let's say that even the Italian names of the dishes were misspelled on the menu. So, being alone and drunk in Las Vegas what did I do? Exactly: I pulled out my pen and corrected all the misspelled names - and then I left the menu on the table.

I never came back to check (I never visited Las Vegas again, actually - boring city, BTW) but sometimes I wonder...

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: dje

All this talk and the one thing I come away with is none of you guys have even had Chicago pizza

How do you know that?

[ThomasJay]

ORIGINAL: Zap

Just read a story today that New Haven Connecticut is the Pizza Capital of America. New York and New Jersey are up in arms about this classification. So I'm guessing there could be an all out war between Pizza fans. Chicago? where did that come from.

It's an American regional thing. As long as I can remember, and I'm 65, there has been a major controversy between Chicagoans and their deep dish pies and the Northeast with their floppy, slightly greasy thin crusts and thicker crust square 'Sicilians'. There's also debates between Philly, NYC and other NE cities as to whose is best.
I'm sure none of them are authentic Italian though most of the places I went to growing up in New Jersey were run by Sicilians both recent immigrants and older families. I remember when this went down a couple places I had been to were implicated as fronts:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizza_Connection_Trial

[ThomasJay]

ORIGINAL: RFalvo69

ORIGINAL: dje

All this talk and the one thing I come away with is none of you guys have even had Chicago pizza

Chicago, no. American? Let's see... Washington D.C., New York ("Sbarro": does someone remember those?

I hope your not equating Sbarro with New York City pizza! They're a chain I've never seen one outside of a highway rest area, airport or shopping mall food court. Maybe they've put one in Times Square for the tourists since they Disneyfied it, but that is not even close to authentic NY/North Jersey pizza.

[MrsWargamer]

To me, pizza is flat bread tomato pasta sauce, pepperoni, cheese, green peppers, mushrooms to begin with. I'm open for more, but sometimes you can overload a pizza.

I find it funny when some will get up in arms about something that really doesn't matter. My life will go on regardless of what anyone thinks of my recipe.
But if I serve that, and you don't like it, it just means I get more pizza for me

[Orm]

I do think that most areas, or countries, import food from other areas, and then try to improve upon it. Whether it is an improvement, or not, is up for debate.

I think that recipes for both Kebab, and Pizza, has been improved in Sweden. However, due to the difficulty of getting fresh vegetables for the dishes it is usually very nice to eat closer to the source of the vegetables.

I fondly recall buying vegetables, fruit, and cheese, and freshly baked bread, and eating like a king on a balcony in Normandy. I've had similar experiences on hotel balconies in other countries. [:)]

Thankfully the vegetables, and fruits, that are available in Sweden has improved its standard somewhat over the years.

[Orm]

Pizza, with kebab meat on, seems to be the most popular pizza in Sweden. At least that variant has won in several yearly polls.

[TulliusDetritus]

ORIGINAL: RFalvo69
The problem with "Italian food" is that it doesn't exists. It would be more correct to speak about Italian regional food, and, in many cases, Italian provincial food.

This is true for *every* country. Political constructs like states and gastronomy are different things.

[Anonymous]

[Deleted by Admins]

[RangerJoe]

I would rather have the Epicurean definition than than the gluttonous definition.

[rickier65]

Well, I have to say, I totally agree with the story posted by the original poster. But my chicago style pizza is a thin crust, square cut pizza. and yes, its the best!

I was sorely disappointed when I left the area and discovered that pizza wasn't the same everywhere! The first time I had a pizza outside the Chicago area, I couldn't believe what I was served. I eventually reconciled myself to the fact that I might have to try every pizza place in each new city I moved in, to find "my" pizza.

I'm now in my 70's and living on the west coast. Fortunately I've found a reasonable facsimile of "my" pizza close by, though when I asked for square cut they looked at me like I was crazy. I finally suggested they just not cut it all. I cut it when I get it home.

Seriously though, I finally realized that what makes a "good" pizza depends a lot on where you learned to like pizza.

And I learned to like pizza as take out for Mama D's pizza in Chicago Heights IL.

Rick

[Zap]

And I learned to like pizza as take out for Mama D's pizza in Chicago Heights IL.

Rick
[/quote]


Chicago Heights caught my eye. I went to school there and we are separated by 2 years.

[AndySfromVA]

As I native New Yorker I used to be intolerant of all non-NY pizza. But I've since broadened my horizons and I can honestly say that, since I left NY (many decades ago) I never tasted a pizza I didn't like {frozen pizza's excluded).

Anyone ever try St. Louis style pizza? It's much different than any pizza you've ever tasted but, once you get familiar with it, it's quite good (IMHO).

[Anonymous]

[Deleted by Admins]

[ThomasJay]

ORIGINAL: AndySfromVA

As I native New Yorker I used to be intolerant of all non-NY pizza. But I've since broadened my horizons and I can honestly say that, since I left NY (many decades ago) I never tasted a pizza I didn't like {frozen pizza's excluded).

Anyone ever try St. Louis style pizza? It's much different than any pizza you've ever tasted but, once you get familiar with it, it's quite good (IMHO).

Being originally from NJ, I was once the same and totally agree with you. I think most major cities developed their own variation and I've found them all good. Had an aunt in St Louis I used to visit and I did like the pizza after the initial shock wore off. Love Chicago pie as well.
But there are still some pizza deserts in this country where you can only find one of the big chains or even worse small franchises.

[Will_L]

A nice simple pizza that I make on my grill:
Pesto sauce, smoked mozzarella and mushrooms (I prefer morel but you can use whatever ones you want).