New Haven-style pizza facts for kids
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A half-tomato/half-mozzarella apizza from Sally's Apizza in New Haven, Connecticut
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| Alternative names | Apizza |
|---|---|
| Type | Pizza |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | New Haven, Connecticut |
| Created by | Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana |
| Main ingredients | Pizza dough, tomato sauce, pecorino romano |
New Haven-style pizza, also known as apizza, is a special kind of thin-crust pizza. It's cooked in a super hot coal-fired oven. You'll find it mostly in and around New Haven, Connecticut. The name "apizza" comes from the Neapolitan language, meaning "the pizza."
This unique pizza style started at Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana. Now, many other pizza places in the area, like Sally's Apizza and Modern Apizza, also serve it. Some people even call New Haven the "Pizza Capital of the United States"!
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What Makes New Haven Pizza Special?
When you order a "plain" pizza in New Haven, it's usually just crust, oregano, tomato sauce, and a little bit of grated pecorino romano cheese. This is sometimes called a "tomato pie." If you want Mozzarella cheese, you have to ask for it specifically because it's considered an extra topping!
One of the most famous types of New Haven pizza is the "white clam pie." The creator, Frank Pepe, used to serve small clams at his restaurant. He later decided to put them on pizza! A white clam pie has crust, olive oil, oregano, grated cheese, chopped garlic, and fresh littleneck clams.
New Haven-style pizza is known for a few key things:
- It has a thin, oval-shaped crust.
- The crust often has a bit of a smoky, charred (slightly burnt) look.
- It's chewy, but not too soft.
- They don't use a lot of gooey, melted cheeses.
This pizza is usually drier and thinner than New York-style pizza. Both styles, however, come from the original Neapolitan pizza from Italy.
How It's Cooked and Served
New Haven-style pizza is traditionally baked in a special coal-fired oven. These ovens get incredibly hot, usually above 650 degrees Fahrenheit (about 343 degrees Celsius). This high heat gives the pizza its unique crust.
Unlike some places where you can buy pizza by the slice, New Haven-style pizza is always sold as a whole pie.
Where to Find New Haven Pizza
While you'll find most New Haven-style pizza in the New Haven area, it's starting to pop up in other parts of the United States. For a long time, you could find it in Italian-American neighborhoods in places like Bridgeport, Connecticut. Frank Pepe's even has a location in Yonkers, New York.
This special pizza style is now reaching areas that aren't usually known for having many Italian-American communities. You can find it in towns across northern and central Connecticut, and even in other cities throughout the United States.
Images for kids
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White clam pie from Pepe's in New Haven, Connecticut
