New York Thin-Sliced Pizza: There's Nothing Like It!

It may just be easier to get a great New York style thin-crust pizza than a cab in the city. Since the first pizzeria was opened, New Yorkers have come to love their pizza. They shun thick Chicago-style deep-dish pizza that is doughier and hard to eat on-the-go.

NY style pizza is thin-crusted with a tangy tomato sauce topped with lots of fresh mozzarella cheese. Almost always baked in a brick oven, it comes out crisp on the bottom, chewy around the edges. The basic pizza is tomato with cheese with additional toppings offered ala carte. Many slices are sold individually to people in a rush. The thin crust slices can be folded and eaten like a sandwich. Larger pizzas can be cut into triangles or in squares. Chicago style pizza cannot be served this way, as it is often 3-4 inches thick and tends to be doughy. It is not feasible to sell deep-dish pizza by the slice, as cutlery and a dish is needed to eat it. Some people attribute the taste of NY pizza to the tap water. Pizza makers outside of NY have taken NY water to use for their pizzas, but it's just not the same. Traditionally hand-tossed, the dough made of flour, oil and yeast yields a crust worthy to serve as a platform for the tomato sauce, cheese and your choice of toppings.

Eaten as a snack or meal, pizza is a favorite food in countries around the world. Geographical and ethnic groups add ingredients indigenous to their culture and region. Vegetarians enjoy this wonderful food as is or with flavorful toppings like roasted eggplant and artichoke hearts. When visiting NY, make time to visit a pizzeria. You won't be sorry.