Pizza is one of the world’s favorite foods. It is great for one but even better when shared. It can be as simple as you like but can also be jazzed up with fancy ingredients. The origins of pizza may be humble but the modern pizza can be a gourmet meal or even dessert. Modern pizza features so many different combinations of ingredients for toppings that represent all the world’s cuisines and reflect favorite dishes. The crusts vary too from thin to thick and there are also different ways to cook it from on a pizza stone to in a wood-fired oven. If you head out to find a pizza restaurant on Sunset Boulevard, here are some of the types of pizza you will encounter.
Popular Types of Pizza on Sunset
Neapolitan Pizza
The original and the classic. The pizza as we know it dates back to 18th Century Naples in Italy. The poor needed quick and cheap food and soft fluffy flat bread with a few super cheap toppings were sold by street vendors all over the city. True Neapolitan pizza is thin and it doesn’t bear the weight of many toppings. True Neapolitan pizza also remains closest to its origins so there’s really only two different varieties. These are:Marinara – tomatoes, oregano, garlic and olive oil Margherita – tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and olive oil
Chicago Pizza
The creation of Chicago pizza – indeed named after the city – is credited to Ike Sewell in the early 1900’s. Instead of the thin pizza, he made a dish that was more like a pie and the deep-pan pizza was born and this is probably why we Americans often refer to pizza as a pie. The other major change was that Sewell reversed the order of the ingredients, putting the cheese on the bottom and the rest on top. These days a Chicago pizza is used to simply describe a deep-pan pizza.
New York Pizza
Essentially a variation of the Neapolitan, the New York pizza is traditionally a large foldable slice with a crispy outer crust. Although it can be the basic tomato sauce and mozzarella, the New York-style pizza can handle toppings so you can have a loaded pizza if you want to. Although, having said that, many New Yorkers will enjoy a slice with just the tomatoes, mozzarella and condiments such as red pepper flakes, parmesan, oregano or garlic salt.
Greek Pizza
You don’t always have to go to an Italian restaurant in Silver Lake to get pizza. The pizza was adopted by Greek immigrants (mainly in New England) and the main characteristic of this type is the nearly deep-fried bottom that is a result of being cooked in shallow, oiled pans. It has a thick puffy and chewy crust but not quite the depth of a deep pan pizza.
The Wood-Fired Pizza
Rather than being any particular style or having a regional/ethnic origin, this last pizza type is characterized by its cooking method. Wood-fired pizza is exactly as it sounds. It isn’t cooked in a conventional oven by gas or electric but is cooked in a special pizza oven where the heat is provided by a wood fire. Wood-fired pizza is becoming synonymous with the best pizza eating experience. It is fast, fresh and crisp with the toppings cooked to perfection with the subtle smokiness adding that extra je ne sais quoi. The other great thing is that every wood-fired pizza is made and cooked to order.
The Best Wood-Fired Pizza in Silver Lake
You don’t have to work hard to find wood-fired pizza on Sunset. Wood Silver Lake Pizza and Pasta at #2861 has an excellent of homemade pizzas created in their wood-fired oven. Enjoy a classic margherita, go meaty with pepperoni or sausage, go veggie with mushrooms, or push the boat out a little with four cheese and truffle. With a great supporting menu, a comfortable environment and fantastic ambience, isn’t it time you booked a table at Wood?