Greek pizza

Summary

In the cuisine of the United States, Greek pizza is a style of pizza crust and preparation where the pizza is proofed and cooked in a metal pan rather than stretched to order and baked on the floor of the pizza oven.[1] A shallow pan is used, unlike the deep pans used in Sicilian, Chicago, or Detroit-styled pizzas. Its crust is typically spongy, airy, and light, like focaccia but not as thick.[2] The crust is also rather oily, due to the coating of oil applied to the pan during preparation.[1][3]

Greek pizza
TypePizza
Place of originUnited States
Region or stateNew England
Main ingredientsPizza dough, cheese, tomato sauce

In the United States, Greek-style pizza is common in New England and parts of eastern New York State.[1][4]

History edit

Greek pizza was invented by Costas Kitsatis, aka Constantinos Kombouzis, aka "Charlie", a Greek from Albania, at his restaurant Pizza House that was located at 86 Truman St. New London, Connecticut, in 1955. His system consisted of preparing a full day's supply of crusts in 10-inch pans in the morning rather than tossing and stretching the dough to order. In Connecticut, by the 1980s, 40% of pizzerias were operated by Greeks.[4]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Levine, Ed (2011). Serious Eats: A Comprehensive Guide to Making & Eating Delicious Food Wherever You Are. Random House Digital. p. 99. ISBN 978-0307720870.
  2. ^ Serious Eats (19 August 2011). "The Pizza Lab: How to Make New England Greek-style Pizza at Home". Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  3. ^ "New England Greek Style Pizza". Serious Eats. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  4. ^ a b Donna R. Gabaccia, We Are What We Eat: Ethnic Food and the Making of Americans, 1998, ISBN 0674948602, p. 197-199