St. Louis–style pizza
{{Short description|Regional pizza style}}
{{Infobox food
| name = St. Louis–style pizza
| image = St Louis Missouri pizza in cardboard box.jpg
| image_size =
| caption =
| alternate_name =
| country = United States
| region = St. Louis, Missouri
| creator =
| course =
| type = Pizza
| served =
| main_ingredient = Unleavened pizza dough, sweet tomato sauce, Provel cheese
| variations =
}}
St. Louis–style pizza is a type of pizza in St. Louis, Missouri, and surrounding areas.{{cite book|last=Richman|first=Adam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6BA26EjQ7IUC&q=St.+Louis+style+pizza&pg=PA79|title=America the Edible: A Hungry History, from Sea to Dining Sea|publisher=Rodale|year=2010|isbn=978-1605293028|pages=79–81}} The pizza has a thin cracker-like crust made without yeast, topped with sweet tomato sauce, and is cut into squares or rectangles rather than wedges. Later, provel cheese became a very prevalent choice for St Louis to style Pizza makers, but it's not a defining factor.
St. Louis–style pizza is available at local restaurants and chains such as Imo's Pizza. Frozen St. Louis–style pizzas are sold at local supermarkets such as Schnucks and Dierbergs Markets.
Distinct characteristics
=Thin crust=
Made without yeast and rolled thin, the crust of St. Louis–style pizza is crisp and cracker-like, unlike the doughier Chicago-style pizza and New York–style pizza.{{cite book|last=Viets|first=Elaine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RpKOZnUXJPEC&q=St.+Louis+style+pizza&pg=PT218|title=Death on a Platter: Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper|publisher=Penguin|year=2011|isbn=978-1101558737|page=(unlisted)}}
Instead of the larger pie-like wedges seen in other pizza styles, it is cut into three- or four-inch squares, referred to as a party cut or tavern cut.{{cite book|last1=Barrett|first1=Liz|title=Pizza: A Slice of American History|date=2014|publisher=Voyageur Press|location=Minneapolis, MN}}[https://bhaaratrecipe.blogspot.com/2021/06/special-foods-of-st-louis-mo.html Foods of Saint Louis MO] It has been suggested that the square cut was inspired by Ed Imo’s former profession as a tile-layer.Bastianich. (2011). Lidia's Italy in America, New York: Alfred Knopf. {{ISBN|978-0-307-59567-6}}. Page 272. The smaller slices and rigid crust help support the weight of its toppings.{{Cite web |title=In Defense of St. Louis-Style Pizza |url=https://www.seriouseats.com/in-defense-of-st-louis-style-pizza |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=Serious Eats |language=en |archive-date=2024-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326090302/https://www.seriouseats.com/in-defense-of-st-louis-style-pizza |url-status=live }}
=Provel cheese=
Provel cheese is typically—though not always—used in place of mozzarella. Provel is a white processed cheese made from cheddar, Swiss, and provolone,{{Cite news| title = City famed for arch has another angle; St. Louis–style pizzas square off against all comers | date = 2003-01-11 | work = The Dallas Morning News | author = Kim Harwell}}{{Cite news | title = Imo's Pizza in St. Louis | url = http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2008/01/imos-pizza-in-st-louis-missouri.html | date = 2008-01-17 | author = Lemons | work = SeriousEats.com | archive-date = 2008-02-29 | access-date = 2008-03-02 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080229063045/http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2008/01/imos-pizza-in-st-louis-missouri.html | url-status = live }} developed by Costa Grocery in St. Louis during the 1950s. It’s made in Wisconsin by a Kraft Heinz subsidiary, primarily for the St. Louis market.
=Sweet tomato sauce=
The tomato sauce is seasoned with more oregano than other styles of pizza, and is sweeter, likely due to the influence of Sicilian immigrants upon Italian foods in St. Louis.
See also
{{Portal|United States|Food}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Pizza in the United States}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Louis-style pizza}}