Greek pizza

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

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

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]

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

History

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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.[4]

See also

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References

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  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