Grandma pizza facts for kids
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| Type | Pizza |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Long Island, New York |
| Main ingredients | Pizza dough, tomato sauce, cheese, tomatoes |
Grandma pizza is a distinct pizza that originates from Long Island, New York. It is a thin, square pizza, typically with cheese and tomatoes, and is reminiscent of pizzas cooked at home by Italian housewives without a pizza oven. The pizza is often compared to Sicilian pizza.
History
The origins of grandma pizza can be traced back to the early 20th century in Long Island when Italian immigrants from southern Italy would try to replicate some of the food from their home country with what few ingredients they had available. This eventually morphed into a pizza that would be made at home with simple ingredients in their kitchens. Due to the humble beginnings and background of the pizza, it was dubbed "grandma pizza" since it was rarely made outside of a home kitchen and mainly made by first-generation immigrants. Pizzerias rarely sold this type of pizza.
Although having existed for decades, grandma pizza was not well known outside of Long Island and many in New York did not even know about the style. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, the pizza became more popular with many pizzerias offering it. This was mainly due to people who had grown up eating grandma pizza finally being able to open up their own pizzerias and offer the pizza as a sign of respect and homage to what they ate at home.
Characteristics
A grandma pizza is usually cooked in an olive-oil coated half sheet pan with the dough shaped in a rectangle. Cheese is usually placed on first with the sauce going on top of the pizza rather than under the cheese. It is then put into a regular kitchen oven to bake, although now many pizzerias also use wood-fired ovens or stone ovens. After it is done baking, it is cut into small squares for serving.
