In the cuisine of the United States, Greek pizza is a style of pizza crust and preparation where the pizza is proofed and cooked in a metal pan rather than stretched to order and baked on the floor of the pizza oven. ^[1] A shallow pan is used, unlike the deep pans used in Sicilian, Chicago, or Detroit-styled pizzas. Its crust is typically spongy, airy, and light, like focaccia but not as thick. ^[2] The crust is also rather oily, due to the coating of oil applied to the pan during preparation. ^{[1] [3]}

In the United States, Greek-style pizza is common in New England and parts of eastern New York State. ^{[1] [4]}

History

Greek pizza was invented by Costas Kitsatis, aka Constantinos Kombouzis, aka "Charlie", a Greek from Albania, at his restaurant Pizza House that was located at 86 Truman St. New London, Connecticut, in 1955. His system consisted of preparing a full day's supply of crusts in 10-inch pans in the morning rather than tossing and stretching the dough to order. In Connecticut, by the 1980s, 40% of pizzerias were operated by Greeks. ^[4]

See also

References