6 amazing pizza varieties across the nation you may not know about (but should)
Pizza may have been invented in Italy, but different parts of the United States have put a unique spin on the classic dish — from Boston to St. Louis. Check out these regional varieties.
Pizza was brought to North America in the late 1800s by an influx of Italian immigrants — and the dish did not really grow in popularity until after World War II, according to the National Park Service and other sources.
Certain areas of the country have since put their own spin on the delicious food item.
With the sudden rise in popularity of Detroit-style pizza, here's a look at some of the other lesser-known regional variations that might just be the next big pizza trend.
THIS CITY MAY BE HOME TO AMERICA'S NEW FAVORITE PIZZA: CHECK IT OUT
This is not an exhaustive list, of course — just a tasty sampling.
Invented on the South Shore of Boston, South Shore Bar pizza differs from traditional pies in a few key ways.
The pies come in one size – 10" – and are cooked in an extremely well-oiled pan, according to the website Everything South Shore Bar Pizza.
FAST FACTS ABOUT PIZZA IN HONOR OF NATIONAL PIZZA DAY
The crust is essentially fried while it bakes, and the pies are sauced and then topped with "cheddar cheese and just about anything else you'd like to throw on it."
Instead of the traditional pizza box, South Shore Bar Pizzas are sandwiched between two thick paper plates and put in a brown paper bag, said Everything South Shore Bar Pizza.
"The bars these pizzas come from usually have some sort of wood paneling on the inside, most haven’t updated since the '70s," it said.
A Rhode Island creation, pizza strips were inspired by Sicilian-style pizza.
They're also called party pizza, red strips, and bakery pizza.
There's no melted cheese pulls to be had on pizza strips – the sauce is the main star of the show, and the strips are served at room temperature.
"It's a much simpler celebration of the most overlooked element of a pizza – the sauce," said the Providence Journal.
Not a typo – New Haven-style pizza is called apizza.
This is a callback to the dialect of Italian that is spoken in Naples, said the website Eater.
New Haven-style apizza is intentionally left a tad long in an oven (traditionally a coal-powered oven), leading to a charred, thin crust.
CELEBRATE NATIONAL PIZZA DAY WITH A GOOD SLICE OF PIE AND NOTE THESE 5 SIGNS OF BAD SLICE SHOPS
Similar to pizza strips, mozzarella cheese is not a standard topping – it must be requested, said Eater.
While apizza can be topped by anything and everything, perhaps the most famous variety of apizza is the White Clam Pizza from Frank Pepe's.
It's topped with fresh clams, garlic, oregano, grated pecorino Romano cheese, and olive oil.
Grandma pizza hails from Long Island, New York, and is quite different from its New York Style cousin.
Unlike the large New York-style slices that can be folded over, Grandma pizza is cut into squares.
It is cooked in a square, heavily-oiled sheet pan, according to the website Sip & Feast.
BEST PIZZA IN AMERICA, BASED ON TOP REVIEWS
The "fairly thin" crust is fried while it is cooked, said the website.
Typical Grandma pizza toppings are mozzarella cheese and plum marinara sauce, says the website for Umberto's, a Long Island restaurant claiming to be "home of Grandma pizza."
Grandma pizza is finished with garlic-infused olive oil, a sprinkle of pecorino Romano, and oregano, said Sip & Feast.
Quad Cities-style pizza refers to the Quad Cities of Rock Island and Moline, Illinois; plus Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa.
The website for Harris Pizza says the Quad Cities were not exactly a hotspot of pizza at the time Harris Pizza opened.
"The concept of pizza was so new to the area that Leonard and Mary Harris had to give it away to get people to try it," they said.
It worked: Harris Pizza, home of the "The Original Quad City Style Pizza," now has several locations throughout the Quad Cities.
Quad Cities-style pizza is served on a malted dough that includes molasses, according to Food & Wine.
The pizza is topped with a fairly spicy tomato sauce, ground sausage, mozzarella and oregano, then baked for a short period of time in a hot oven.
Unlike other styles of pizza, which are cut with either a pizza cutter or knife, Quad Cities-style pizza is cut with scissors, said Food & Wine.
St. Louis-style pizza is yet another variety that is cut into squares rather than wedges.
Unlike chewier, foccia-like pizzas, St. Louis-style pizza features a "thin, crispy and crunch" crust that is completely covered in toppings, according to the website for Imo's Pizza, the originators of St. Louis-style pizza.
There is only one kind of cheese used on St. Louis-style pizza — Provel, another St. Louis creation.
Provel cheese was invented in St. Louis in 1947, said the website for Imo's Pizza, and is a mixture of cheddar, Swiss and provolone cheeses "combined into one gooey, creamy, deliciously cheesy experience."
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
A chef at Imo's Pizza decided to use Provel, rather than mozzarella, when making his pies, and "it was a hot success," said the website.
It is unclear as to why the pizza is cut into squares; even the Imo's website is not completely sure.
"Why squares? Well, it's just how we slice our pizza in St. Louis," the site said.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.