Free Republic

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.

Detroit-style pizza was once locked down to the state of Michigan, but recently, thanks to chains like Jet’s, it’s slowly been trending its way around the United States. The original version was developed in 1946 at a restaurant called Buddy’s Rendezvous (now known as Buddy’s Pizza). Like so many American pizzas, it was inspired by an older version: it’s an offshoot of the puffy, bready Sicilian-style (think focaccia). It’s always baked in blue steel pans, and its one big defining characteristic is the crust. The crusts of Detroit-style pizzas aren’t the bare pizza bones a lot of people throw away....