Barrett - Pizza: a slice of American history

A Slice of American History

LIZ BARRETT

Contributions from Lou Abate, Mark Bello, Chef Santo Bruno, Roberto Caporuscio, Pat DePula, Steve Green, Ruth Gresser, PJ Hamel, Jay Jerrier, Brad Kent, Adam Kuban, Tom The Dough Doctor Lehmann, Matt McClellan, Penny Pollack, Shawn Randazzo, Peter Reinhart, Jesse Ryan, and Scott Wiener

First published in 2014 by Voyageur Press, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc., 400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA

2014 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.

Text 2014 Liz Barrett

Photographs 2014 Liz Barrett, except where noted

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Digital edition: 978-1-6278-8382-5
Softcover edition: 978-0-7603-4560-3

Barrett, Liz, 1974
Pizza : a slice of american history / Liz Barrett.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7603-4560-3 (sc)
1. Pizza. 2. PizzaHistory. 3. PizzaUnited States. I. Title.
TX770.P58B374 2014
641.82480973dc23

Editor: Grace Labatt
Design Manager: James Kegley
Cover designer: Diana Boger
Page designer: Amelia LeBarron
Cover photo: Rob Hammer Photography

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

DEDICATION

To pizza, without which this book would not be possible. And to Steve Green, my publisher at PMQ Pizza Magazine, who brought me into this amazing industry and allowed me the freedom to explore it as I saw fit. To my friends and loved ones, who stuck by me during the writing of this book, no matter how many times I had to cancel plans (pizza is on me next time, guys!). And to all of the hard-working pizza makers around the world, who dedicate their lives to bringing us joy with a simple slice of pizza.

INTRODUCTION
PIZZA FIRSTS

CHAPTER 1
NEAPOLITAN AND NEW YORK STYLE

CHAPTER 2
TOMATO PIE

CHAPTER 3
CRUST

CHAPTER 4
NEW HAVEN STYLE (APIZZA) AND WHITE CLAM PIE

CHAPTER 5
SICILIAN PIZZA AND GRANDMA PIZZA

CHAPTER 6
CHEESE

CHAPTER 7
DEEP-DISH PIZZA

CHAPTER 8
DETROIT STYLE

CHAPTER 9
SAUCES AND SPICES

CHAPTER 10
ST. LOUIS STYLE

CHAPTER 11
CALIFORNIA STYLE

CHAPTER 12
OVENS

CHAPTER 13
MORE PIZZA STYLES!

CHAPTER 14
ENTER THE CHAINS

CHAPTER 15
PIZZA GOES HIGH-TECH

CHAPTER 16
PIZZAS PERFECT PAIRINGS

CHAPTER 17
PIZZA AND THE DIET REVOLUTION

M y confidence was waning by the time we made our third illegal U-turn. Liz Barrett was behind the wheel, I was riding shotgun, and the GPS was probably just confused that we were trying to find yet another pizzeriaour third of the night. We were both in Orlando for a restaurant industry tradeshow, at which we had spent the entire day being bombarded with pizza. Yet here we were, following a hot lead into a sketchy part of town just to get some more. Such is the life of a pair of serious pizza enthusiasts who somehow managed to build careers out of obsession.

I first met Liz when she was the editor-in-chief of a pizza magazine based in Oxford, Mississippi. Yes, there is a pizza magazinethere are actually two in the United Statesand subscriptions to both fed my own interest enough to help me launch a company that conducts tours of significant New York City pizzerias. Since 2008, Scotts Pizza Tours has introduced over twenty-five thousand people to the history and culture of the pizza capital of America. Running tours led me to gigs judging pizza competitions and emceeing at tradeshows across the country, and to appearances on just about every television network. I even published a book all about pizza box art, based on my collection of six hundred-plus boxes from forty-five different countries. I know that sounds made up, but its all completely true. Such is the power of pizza.

Liz and I are far from alone. Theres an entire subculture of pizza enthusiasts who spend their time investigating the nuances of what makes one pizzeria good and the other transcendent. They obsess over different oven types and sauce preparations, special methods of applying cheese, and ways of slicing a pizza. They debate the origins of significant pizza styles and what beverages best pair with them. They ask questions the average pizza eater doesnt think to ask.

Pizza is your passport to pizza obsession. It lays out a roadmap of pizza variations across the United States, with helpful hints for locating, identifying, consuming, and analyzing each manifestation. Thanks to her journalistic background, Liz Barrett digs deeper to explain the reasons for the various American styles, such as New Yorks thin, floppy slices and Chicagos hefty deep-dish. Youll even get recipes from some of the planets most important pizza makers, so you can explore each style without leaving the safety of your kitchen.

This is the kind of book youll have in the car for your first road trip to the great pizzerias of New Haven. It will accompany you on subway rides to New Yorks famous slice shops. Youll devour it again on your first flight to Naples. Pizza will escort you on your transition from casual pizza lover to all-out pizza geek.

As I learned in Orlando, Liz is the perfect companion when it comes to pizza adventuring. Just as she was literally willing to go the distance for great pizza (which we did eventually find), this book digs deep for slices of information about Americas favorite import. Just be sure youre close to something saucy, cheesy, and crusty while reading it.

Scott Wiener,
Scotts Pizza Tours, New York City

Lights shine their heavenly glow down on New York pizzas.

M y first taste of pizza came one night during the mid-1980s, when my mom brought a pie home from a restaurant called The Wagon Wheel Saloon in Troy, Michigan. The restaurant is no longer there, but I still remember when that pizza arrived. The smell of Italian spices and melted cheese filled the house. We all gathered around and gobbled up every morsel until nothing was left but an empty box, scraped clean of any evidence.