Pizza What? Pizza Hut’s new ‘Detroit-style’ pizza has some Americans confused

New York Post ^ | January 30, 2021 | Sara Dorn

[nickcarraway]

Pizza Hut’s new rectangular, deep-dish pie has catapulted “Detroit-style” pizza into the national spotlight.

The latest iteration of the Italian staple from the Kansas-based chain borrows from a recipe that originated at Buddy’s Rendezvous — now Buddy’s Pizza chain — in Detroit, just after World War II.

The pies are baked in a rectangular or round pan and covered in Wisconsin cheese. Red sauce and toppings are added last.

For many Americans, the Pizza Hut rollout was their first introduction to the Motor City’s twist on the food more commonly associated with New York and Chicago.

[03A3]

Sicilian

[MHGinTN]

Might be worth the drive to get those. East TN to Tampa, what 1100 miles?

[Basket_of_Deplorables]

“Nowhere in all of Italy, the birthplace of Pizza, “

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That’s very debatable. It may have become popular there before America, but flat bread baked with toppings existed in Roman times.

And a casserole can’t stand by itself, without a container. That square pizza can, and is most definitely NOT a casserole.

Fact is, you’re just making stuff up.

[ocrp1982]

Smoky Mountain,TN to SouthBay Tampa is 700 miles.

[MHGinTN]

I am tempted!

[Basket_of_Deplorables]

Little Ceasers was the first chain to popularize this type of pizza, and it used to be very good from there. Before they went for the cheap crowd. Now thier pizza is crap.

I grew up with Detroit Style pizza, and done right, it’s great. That crust is amazing. And I like the sauce on top. Just tastes better to me.

[MHGinTN]

Pizza is one of those foods that can be frozen then thawed and heated without losing much flavor. I wonder if one or both of those Pizza places would baked me a couple, deep freeze tham and sent via Fed Ex in a Styrofoam box?

[Candor7]

Zee reel Pizzarino Napolitano !

#1 in Italy supposedly. L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele, Naples

[Howie66]

I seriously doubt that any actual fan of PIZZA would ever think that Pizza Hut as a pizza parlor. More like a Quick Lube station for your truck in my honest opinion.

[ocrp1982]

“And a casserole can’t stand by itself, without a container. That square pizza can”
Really? Show me a deep-sided pizza whose dough is deep enough to contain the mass quantity of ingredients that these casseroles contain that is placed into an oven as a stand-alone item.
I’m not making up a damned thing. I have lived in Italy and visited every region. From the Island of Sicily to the top of the boot.
Nowhere in all of Italy does there exist anything called a Pizza that remotely resembles a Detroit or Chicago Casserole. It does not exist.

[Basket_of_Deplorables]

“They are just NOT pizza’s. If they would refer to them as Pizza Casseroles it would be honesty in advertising.”

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A “casserole” is the container used to make certain baked foods, which are then sometimes called casseroles, too. It usually has a glass lid. Look it up. Food baked in a casserole dish is not meant to stand alone outside the dish. If you take the entire baked thing out of the casserole, and put it on a cutting board, that’s called, ‘a mess.’ That pizza is not a casserole, or a carwash, or a petunia. It’s a pizza, and durn good.

I don’t care what anyone from Italy has to say about anything, but I’m sure they have an opinion on it and everything else, asked or not. Pizza was not invented there, no matter what they say. It existed before it came to Italy. Heck, they put hard-boiled egg on pizza over there. Now THAT’S not pizza.

[Basket_of_Deplorables]

“Nowhere in all of Italy does there exist anything called a Pizza that remotely resembles a Detroit or Chicago Casserole. It does not exist.”

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So? Who says Italy gets to define what American Pizza is?

And deep dish pizzas are usually removed from the pan for serving. That Detroit Style pizza is, and it is delivered without the pan. I grew up eating it, and it is Pizza. Whatever they serve as pizza in Italy, I don’t care a whit. This is America, Pisan. We eat American Pizza. Get over it.

[ocrp1982]

And deep dish pizzas are usually removed from the pan for serving.
If it’s baked in a PAN it’s NOT a Pizza. It’s a CASSEROLE. Whether you like it or not, no Pizza is baked in a CONTAINER.

[RckyRaCoCo]

Wow, does your post bring back nightmares. I lived in SoCal in the early 80’s. Last day of work before Christmas vacation, got home and decided to order one. So glad I hadn’t made plans to visit family back east that year. Spent the week(+) sick as a dog...gave the toilet a workout, that’s for sure. Didn’t eat pizza from ANY place for YEARS after that misery.

[jz638]

The Detroit and Chicago (”Pizza’s”) are NOT pizza. They are casseroles. Nowhere in all of Italy, the birthplace of Pizza, does anything remotely resembling these things exist and are referred to as Pizza.

If you want to be a jerk about it, tomatoes aren't native to Italy, so there is no such thing as authentic Italian pizza if it includes tomatoes. Before you get wrapped around the axle, it's just like authentic chili can't have meat in it because the Maya first called a loose soup made of dried chili peppers chili. Forget the "if there are beans in it, it's not chili" argument, if there's anything other than chiles and water, it's not chili. Don't even get me started on ketchup in America...

Food is part of culture, names for food are part of culture as well... and all culture is appropriation. There is no such thing as "authenticity" when it comes to food, it's all a matter of individual preference and popular inertia. I personally think McDonald's is making a mockery of what a hamburger and french fries are supposed to look and taste like, but it doesn't matter what I call them, it's a hamburger and fries on the menu and it will stay that way.

You can set your marker down on thick crust, pan cooked pizza as "not pizza", but it's just an opinion. In the mean time, I hope whatever food you like and whatever name you call it is delicious and satisfying. Life is too short to quibble over terminology.

[napscoordinator]

For goodness sakes. Just eat the pizza. More proof America is full of idiots.

[napscoordinator]

Actually in Italy there is very very little sauce. I think they’d think it was gross with that glob of sauce.

[freedumb2003]

I remember maybe 30 years ago or so there was a modest chain (2 guys from Italy?) that had square, deep dish pizza like this.

I remember liking it.

[ocrp1982]

“I personally think McDonald’s is making a mockery of what a hamburger and french fries are supposed to look and taste like, but it doesn’t matter what I call them”
However, a McD’s burger and fries, or a BK burger and fries, etc... are completely recognizable as a burger and fries whether you like how they taste, or not. Your example makes my point. Chicago and Detroit “pizza” does not look like pizza. They look like what they are, CASSEROLES. Not pizza.

[Aut Pax Aut Bellum]

All the Pizza Huts closed by us. Covid killed them, as they could not adapt. No delivery.