The Eternal Quest for a Traditional New York Style Pizza
Without a doubt, pizza is among the most beloved foods in all the American realm. And, when in years past, my travels carried me through the tri-state lands of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, I had the great pleasure of feasting upon some of the finest New York style pizzas to be had. One could scarcely go wrong ordering a pie from almost any establishment.
But alas, when years later I returned to those same lands, something had changed. The pizzas tasted much like those found anywhere else – thicker, bready crusts and rather ordinary in character. They were not the New York style pizzas I remembered in days of yore, though many establishments still boldly proclaimed them to be so.
Yet during my recent travels to Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, a pleasant surprise presented itself. I happened upon the Original Italian Pizza shop on East Street and decided to partake of its wares. To my delight, what arrived before me proved a worthy contender for the title of a genuine New York-style pizza.
The tomato sauce was slightly sweet with the fresh taste of tomatoes still evident. The gooey cheese stretched forth like warm taffy with every bite. And the crust – ah, the crust! – was thin and chewy, with just enough crispness that one could hold a slice aloft without the poor thing going limp in one’s hand.
My dinner companions bestowed perpetual praise upon the feast, and I could hardly disagree. For nearly fifteen years, I had been engaged in something of a side quest of my own: the search for a true New York-style pizza as I had remembered it from long ago. Thus, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that such noble pies had not entirely vanished from the realm.
But this raised a question: Why, in these modern times, is a proper New York-style pizza so difficult to find?
It seems that many have simply settled for “pizza”, wherein almost any combination of bready dough, sauce, and cheese shall suffice. More than once, I have entered a pizza shop with great hope, and no small trepidation, after seeing the words “New York Style” proudly displayed, only to receive a pie burdened with thick, bready dough, cheese that snaps rather than stretches, and bitter tomato sauce. What folly!
Why, I wondered, do they proclaim such a thing to be New York style? Is it merely because the pie measures sixteen inches across? Surely not. A proper New York pizza ought to be a grand affair, commonly reaching eighteen inches or more. (Verily, OIP, too, fell short in this regard, for its menu offered naught but a 16-inch pizza).
And so, like any traveler determined to solve a mystery, I ventured into the archives and conducted a little research.
It appears, my friends, that much of the matter comes down to that ancient concern known to merchant and king alike: economics.
To contend with other eating-houses whilst keeping their prices fair, certain pizzerias have found means to lessen the cost and labour required to fashion their pies. Alas, some such economies may alter the very qualities that set traditional New York-style pizza apart.
Why is a true New York-style pizza so hard to find? For pizzerias, competing with other eating-houses may mean cutting the cost of making one. Such cuts may include:
- Using ready-made dough, or dough risen in haste, rather than high-gluten bread flour left to rise for as many as seventy-two hours.
- The method of baking: Baking in conveyor ovens, which may yield a soggier crust, rather than upon the hearth of a deck oven.
- Choosing ingredients of a lesser cost and lower grade.
My researches revealed yet another, most unexpected cause. It seemeth that a rare skill is needed to stretch the dough to its proper measure of eighteen inches or more, and thus a “large” pizza is oft but sixteen inches across.
Though I have journeyed unto New York City many years past whilst upon another errand, alas, visiting its pizza houses was not writ upon my itinerary. Yet I look forward to sampling the many “Ray’s Pizzas,” that I may learn which layeth true claim to being the “original” and the “best” – and whether any doth truly serve “New York Style Pizza”.
For now, I remain hopeful that, when my travels lead me through Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, once more, the Original Italian Pizza shop shall yet stand, steadfast as stone, that I may sate my longing for a New York-style pie.
And to all who read these words, I would gladly hear: have ye found a true New York-style pizza within your own kingdom?