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St. Louis–style pizza

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A typical St. Louis-style thin crust pizza in its delivery box.

St. Louis-style pizza is a distinct style of pizza popular in St. Louis, Missouri and surrounding areas. The definitive characteristics of St. Louis-style pizza are a super-thin (unleavened) crust and the use of Provel process cheese - three cheeses fused to form one (provolone, swiss, and white cheddar), instead of (or, rarely, in addition to) the mozzarella common to other styles of pizza.[1][2][3] Provel cheese was developed by the St. Louis firm Costa Grocery in the 1950s[citation needed] and is made in Wisconsin primarily for the St. Louis market. The cheese is not widely available outside the St. Louis-area.[4]

St. Louis-style pizza is usually cut into squares instead of slices.

The super-thin, cracker-like round crust is made without yeast, as compared to a deep dish Chicago-style pizza or the thin but leavened New York-style pizza. It is therefore less filling than most pizza types. The crust of a St. Louis pizza is somewhat crisp and cannot be folded easily so the pizza is typically cut into three- or four-inch squares[5][1] instead of the pie-like wedges typical of many pizza styles. Some local restaurants make their pizzas rectangular rather than round. St. Louis style pizza is unique even when compared to the Chicago-style thin crust pizza that is also cut into squares and is referred to as "party cut".

It is often salty and seasoned with more oregano than other pizza types. Despite its thin crust, it can be layered deeply with many different toppings. Some of the sauces used have a sweetness to them. Sometimes a St. Louis-style pizzeria will keep their pizza sauce simmering continuously to concentrate and develop the sweet and savory tomato flavors. The Provel cheese gives the pizza a sharp, tangy, almost sour flavor.

File:Cecilspride pizza cheese.jpg
Label from Cecil Whittaker's Pizzeria cheese. It shows a different take on St. Louis-style pizza, not Provel but a blend of five cheeses and smoke flavoring.

The St. Louis-style pizza developed in a heavily-Italian populated neighborhood in south St. Louis called "The Hill" and became well-known throughout the city, thanks in part to the large chain restaurant Imo's Pizza. Cecil Whittaker's Pizza and Elicia's Pizza are two other local St. Louis style chains with more than ten locations. Despite the extra effort to obtain Provel cheese, a few restaurateurs across the United States have opened restaurants specializing in the pizza, and several places also will ship the pizza.[6][1]

While St. Louis-style pizza is prominent in St. Louis, it is not the only type of pizza available in the city. St. Louis also has popular local pizzerias that specialize in deep dish pizza and conventional American thin crust pizza styles in addition to gourmet wood oven thin crust pizzerias.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Kim Harwell (2003-01-11). "City famed for arch has another angle; St. Louis-style pizzas square off against all comers". The Dallas Morning News.
  2. ^ Kevin Pang (2007-02-22). "For some pizza lovers, geography matters". The Chicago Tribune.
  3. ^ Lemons (2008-01-17). "Imo's Pizza in St. Louis". SeriousEats.com.
  4. ^ Joe Bonwich (2007-04-11). "Family ties pave the way to provel's enduring popularity". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
  5. ^ Foods of Saint Louis MO
  6. ^ "Pizza of St. Louis; Unusual creations are available in Valley". The Los Angeles Times. 1998-01-29.
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