What is ‘deep-dish’ pizza?

If the average South African is like me, they do not know pizza as well as we maybe should. I know that I like my pizza with a thin crust and there must never, ever, ever be warm pineapple on my pizza! Most people you speak to name the pizza by the name of the place that makes it, e.g. “you want some Debonairs, baby?”

“No let’s get some Domino’s”. After the place is decided, that’s half the battle won, then it’s time to fight over the toppings. Well, today is a day for people to celebrate one of the most delicious pizzas ever thought up by a pizza chef. The deep-dish pizza comes from the Chicago-style pizza series. Chicago-style pizza refers to several different styles of pizza developed in Chicago. Arguably, the most famous of these is known as deep-dish pizza. The pan in which it is baked gives the pizza its characteristically high edge and a deep surface for large amounts of cheese and a chunky tomato sauce. Rumours about the origin of deep-dish pizza is reportedly that Chicago-style deep-dish pizza was invented at Pizzeria Uno in Chicago, in 1943, by Uno’s founder Ike Sewell. However, a 1956 article from the Chicago Daily News asserts that Uno’s original pizza chef, Rudy Malnati, developed the recipe.

The primary difference between deep-dish pizza and most other forms of pizza is that, as the name suggests, the crust is very deep, creating a very thick pizza that resembles a pie more than a flatbread. Although the entire pizza is very thick, in traditional Chicago-style deep-dish pizzas, the crust itself is thin to medium in thickness, with the toppings making up the bulk of this dish. The pizza is baked iin a round, steel pan that is more similar to a cake or pie pan. The pan is oiled in order to allow for easy removal as well as to create a fried effect on the outside of the crust. The dough is pressed up onto the sides of the pan, forming a bowl for a very thick layer of toppings. The thick layer of toppings used in deep-dish pizza requires a longer baking time, which could burn cheese or other toppings if they were used as the top layer of the pizza. Because of this, the toppings are assembled “upside-down” from their usual order on a pizza. The crust is covered with cheese, followed by various meat options. Other toppings such as onions, mushrooms and peppers are then also used. The uncooked sauce is added as the finishing layer.