page_title: Pizza in the United States
section_title: Variations
hierarchical_section_title: Pizza in the United States / Variations
caption_attribution_description: English: Detroit Style Pizza from Calphalon Bread Pans
context_page_description: Many regional variations of pizza in the United States have been developed, many bearing only a casual resemblance to the Italian original. Pizza became most popular in America after soldiers stationed in Italy returned from World War II. During the latter half of the 20th century, pizza became an iconic dish of considerable popularity in the United States. The American slang term za can also refer to pizza. The thickness of the crust depends on what the consumer prefers; both thick and thin crust are popular. Often, foods such as barbecued chicken and bacon cheeseburgers are used to create new types of pizza.
  Pizza is a popular fast food item. The United States pizza restaurant industry is worth $37 billion, and has an organized industry association. Pizza is normally eaten hot, but is sometimes eaten as cold leftovers, even for breakfast.
context_section_description: Altoona-style pizza is pizza that originated in Altoona, Pennsylvania at the Altoona Hotel in the 1960s and 70s. The pizza is made on a Sicilian-style dough base and is cut into squares. The dough is overspread with a sweet tomato sauce, deli-style salami and a sliced green bell pepper ring and finally topped with a yellow cheese. The yellow cheese can vary but is usually yellow American cheese or Velveeta.
  Bar pizza, also known as tavern pizza, is distinguished by a thin crust, almost cracker-like, and is cooked, or at least partly cooked, in a shallow pan for an oily crust. Cheese covers the entire pizza, including the crust, leaving a crispy edge where the cheese meets the pan or oven surface. Bar pizzas are usually served in a bar or pub and are usually small in size (around 10" in diameter). This style of pizza is popular in the Boston area, particularly the South Shore, other parts of the northeast, and the Chicago area.
  California-style pizza is distinguished by the use of non-traditional ingredients, especially varieties of fresh produce. Some typical California-style toppings include Thai-inspired chicken pizza with peanut sauce, bean sprouts, and shaved carrots, taco pizzas, and pizzas with chicken and barbecue sauce as toppings.
  Chicago-style pizza is distinguished by a thick moist crust formed up the sides of a deep-dish pan and sauce as the last ingredient, added atop the cheese and toppings. Stuffed versions have two layers of crust with the sauce on top.
  Detroit-style pizza is a square pizza similar to Sicilian-style pizza that has a thick deep-dish crisp crust and toppings such as pepperoni and olives, and is served with the marinara sauce on top. The square shape is the result of an early tradition of using metal trays originally meant to hold small parts in factories.
  Grandma pizza is a thin, square pizza, typically with cheese and tomatoes.  It is reminiscent of pizzas cooked at home by Italian housewives without a pizza oven, and was popularized on Long Island.
  Greek pizza is a variation popular in New England; its name comes from it being typical of the style of pizzerias owned by Greek immigrants. It has a thicker, chewier crust and is baked in a pan in the pizza oven, instead of directly on the bricks. Plain olive oil is a common part of the topping, as well as being liberally used to grease the pans and crisp the crust. A significantly different variation in other parts of the country includes using feta cheese, Kalamata olives, and Greek herbs such as oregano.
  New Haven-style pizza, also known as apizza (pronounced as "ah-beetz" in the local dialect), is popular in Connecticut. It has a thin crust that varies between chewy and tender, depending on the particular establishment. Apizza has a very dark, "charred" crisp crust that offers a distinctive bitter flavor, which can be offset by the sweetness of tomatoes or other toppings. A "plain" pizza has tomato sauce and no cheese besides grated Romano cheese; mozzarella cheese is considered a topping. New Haven-style pizza is traditionally cooked in coal-fired brick ovens.
  New York-style pizza is a style originally developed in New York City by immigrants from Naples, Italy, where pizza was created. It is often sold in generously sized, thin, and flexible slices. It is traditionally hand-tossed, moderately topped with southern Italian-style Marinara sauce, and liberally covered with cheese essentially amounting to a much larger version of the Neapolitan style. The slices are sometimes eaten folded in half, as its size and flexibility may otherwise make it unwieldy to eat by hand. This style of pizza tends to dominate the Northeastern states and is particularly popular in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Jumbo slices are particularly popular in Washington, D.C..
  Ohio Valley-style pizza is pizza that was developed in Steubenville, Ohio and has made its way up the Ohio River to Pittsburgh, PA.  It uses a square pizza dough that rises thick but maintains a light consistency.   The crust and bottom are crunchy. The sauce on this style of pizza is typ
caption: Detroit-style pizza
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