New York-style pizza began with the opening of America’s first pizzeria, Lombardi’s, by Gennaro Lombardy in 1905. An employee, Antonio Totonno Pero, began making pizza which sold for five cents a pie. In Italy, pizzas were served as single-serving dishes and intended to be eaten with a fork and knife. But New York city’s working class didn’t always have the time, or money, to enjoy an entire pie. That’s why they started to serving individual slices that could be enjoyed on the go. This marked the first major distinction between the two styles. New York-style pizza has slices that are large and wide with a thin crust that is foldable yet crispy. It gets its distinguishing crust from the high-gluten bread flour with which it is made. After it is mixed, it is proofed (left to rise/ferment) in the refrigerator for a minimum of 24 hours. It is traditionally topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, with any extra toppings placed on top of the cheese. New York-style pizza was traditionally cooked in a coal-fired oven, and while a few places still use that method, most places nowadays use a regular gas oven.
New York-style pizza is also designed to be shared, but any pizza can be a personal pizza if you try hard enough.😉
