I grew up on pizza in the NYC/NJ area. The Italian styles with minimal cheese are a disappointment to me. Many are able to get the crust and sauce perfect, which is no small feat, and then it feels like they just gave up with the cheese.
Pizza in NYC usually not only has great crust and sauce, but it also has plenty of cheese. They don't "overload" it like many places outside the area. (I am purposely separating "Pizza in NYC" from "NYC Style" because people around the US suck at emulating it).
Its a tradeoff made differently in the US/ Italy. The Naples style pizza uses “fresh” buffalo mozzarella which releases a lot of water. It has a nice creamy flavor but you can’t cover a thin crust pizza in it without it becoming soggy. What we call mozzarella in the US is actually low moisture mozzarella and one of its advantages is you can cover a whole pizza in it.
The 'soggy' is a part of the experience; not really disgusting soggy but definitely something you cannot pick up as a slice; the toppings would fall off. Italians eat them generally with fork & knife, but if you want, you can fold the slices 2x (sides to eachother like you would do and then fold the point into there as well and then you can pick it up by the crust).
The basic thing which I have seen as big difference; you have to cook these pizzas from going into the oven to plate in < 90s (usually it's less than that; in my oven, when it's perfect, it takes about 60s) and then immediately eat it. If you leave it only for a bit even, to me it is no longer good.
That's where the low moisture (which here they equate with lower quality, not sure if that's true, but more moist is considered better) mozzarella comes in handy; if you want to serve slices over a period of 30min or you want to deliver a pizza etc, you really cannot use this Italian style as far as I have seen and tried.
> The Italian styles with minimal cheese are a disappointment to me.
Have you had one in Italy? Personally, I quite like American style pizza, but the Italian style I still find has a more interesting flavour profile and therefore I tend to prefer it.
As far as I am concerned the Neapolitan pizza is the only real pizza. Compare it to the archetypical Dominoes Margherita pizza. American variants of "pizza" definitely deliver melted cheese, tomato sauce, and heated bread in large quantities but the layers of flavor that you find in a faithful reproduction of Neapolitan pizza to the Italian standard are completely missing. One of the first things Americans will notice in an appropriate Neapolitan pizza is that the cheese does not flood the pizza. Its quantity is reduced to appropriately contrast and compliment the thin layer of tomato sauce. And keep those wet veggies off my pizza.
I suppose it's worth noting that the Neapolitan pizza can only have been in existence since 1548 at the earliest, and there are probably more 'real'/traditional pizzas sans tomato
Actually Neapolitan pizza is 170 years old. Flatbreads have been around for millennia.
So pizza in Naples is only slightly older than pizza in Little Italy in NYC. It arrives in USA in 1890s
The main problem is that in the great american convenience rush of the 50-s, 60-s etc the tradition is overwhelmed by mass pizza from the chains. And what becomes mass pizza (especially delivered) is inferior product. We have lower baking temperatures, start pumping the dough with oil, sugar and whatnot to get some browning. To compensate for lack of flavor in the dough you start putting all kinds of toppings on top and too many of them. Upping the calories to insane levels to compensate for their flavorlessness.
I think that when people dish out on American pizza they don't mean NYC, New Haven, Chicago or Detroit styles but Dominos and Pizza Hut at their worst.
That's interesting, I'm annoyed at my shortcut/assumption in my head that a) it would be older than 170 yrs and b) that there wouldn't be a clear historical record of the exact date. Although, cooked down tomatoes, flatbread etc. presumably met under a different name before that
Classic American attitude of wanting quantity over quality. No, I don’t want to stuff my gut with a pound of low quality cheese that tastes like rubber. You do you America!
I didn't taste pizza till I was like 15 and that was frozen.
I didn't taste NY style till I was 30 or something.
Lol I remember crying big time because mom tricked me into getting first communion by saying she'll take me to a pizzeria.
p.s. don't get insulted too much, ton of places messed their food - best burgers aren't mcdonalds, best buffalo wings aren't in Buffalo NY, best sushi isn't in Tsukiji market, best cuban sandwiches aren't in Florida. All due because locals tend to fetishise it or mess it up to serve tourists.
Which just kinda proves my point that average Italian pizza is nothing compared to NY style.
Back to question I don't think I've ever tried certified Neapolitan pizza, but pretty sure I've had unofficial version many times. It's good, but given choice I'd take NY style. I was about to make one just to realise my dough didn't rise enough (guessing lack of water) few weeks back.
Pizza in NYC usually not only has great crust and sauce, but it also has plenty of cheese. They don't "overload" it like many places outside the area. (I am purposely separating "Pizza in NYC" from "NYC Style" because people around the US suck at emulating it).