New Haven-style pizza is a style of thin-crust, coal-fired

Neapolitan pizza Neapolitan pizza (), also known as Naples-style pizza, is a style of pizza made with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. The tomatoes must be either San Marzano tomatoes or Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio, which grow on the volcanic plains t ...

common in and around

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

. Locally known as apizza (, from

Neapolitan Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to: Geography and history * Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city * Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and Hig ...

''’na pizza'' , "a pizza"), it originated in 1925 at the Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana and is now served in many other pizza restaurants in the area, most notably

Sally's Apizza Sally's Apizza is a pizzeria A pizzeria is a restaurant focusing on pizza. As well as pizza, dishes at pizzerias can include kebab, salads and pasta. Many pizzerias offer take-away, where the customer orders their food either in advance or ...

and

Modern Apizza Modern Apizza is an American pizza restaurant in New Haven, Connecticut. Along with Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana and Sally's Apizza, Modern forms what is informally referred to by locals as the "Holy Trinity" of New Haven-style pizza; the thr ...

. This geographically limited pizza style has been favorably regarded by national critics.

Characteristics

In a New Haven-style pizzeria, a "plain" pizza is a crust,

oregano Oregano (, ; ''Origanum vulgare'') is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae. It was native to the Mediterranean region, but widely naturalised elsewhere in the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Oregano is a woody perennial ...

, tomato sauce, and a little bit of grated

pecorino romano Pecorino Romano () is a hard, salty Italian cheese, often used for grating, made with sheep's milk. The name "pecorino" simply means "ovine" or "of sheep" in Italian; the name of the cheese, although protected, is a simple description rather t ...

cheese. A "plain" New Haven-style pizza may also be called a "tomato pie".

Mozzarella Mozzarella (, ; nap, muzzarella ) is a southern Italian cheese traditionally made from Italian buffalo's milk by the pasta filata method. Fresh mozzarella is generally white but when seasoned it turns to a light yellow depending on the anim ...

is considered a topping. Pepe's restaurant is credited with inventing the "white clam pie", a pizza of crust,

olive oil Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: ...

, oregano, grated cheese, chopped garlic, and fresh littleneck clams. It served littleneck clams on the half shell at the bar, which Pepe later added to the pizza. What makes New Haven-style pizza distinct is its thin, oblong crust, characteristic charring, chewy texture, and limited use of melting cheeses. It tends to be drier and thinner than, but closely related to, traditional

New York-style pizza New York–style pizza is pizza made with a characteristically large hand-tossed thin crust, often sold in wide Pizza by the slice, slices Take-out, to go. The crust is thick and crisp only along its edge, yet soft, thin, and pliable enough be ...

. Both styles in turn are close descendants of the original

Baking and serving methods

New Haven-style pizza is traditionally baked in a coal-fired oven at extremely hot temperatures above . It is sold whole rather than by the slice.

Availability

Although most commonly available locally, New Haven-style pizza has begun to spread to other parts of the United States. It has been available in the Italian-American areas of

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonn ...

, and other shoreline communities for many years; Frank Pepe's also has a location in

Yonkers Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York (state), New York, after New York City and Buffalo, New York, Buffalo. The popul ...

in the Italian-heavy New York City metro area. New Haven-style has penetrated areas typically not known for large

Italian-American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...

populations, including towns in northern and central Connecticut, as well as other cities across the United States.

In media

New Haven pizzerias have often topped best pizza lists.

Henry Winkler Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE (born October 30, 1945), is an American actor, comedian, author, executive producer, and director. After rising to fame as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the American television series '' Happy Days'', Winkler has ...

Lyle Lovett Lyle Pearce Lovett (born November 1, 1957)Lyle Lovett Pageat Allmusic – Lovett's Genre and Styles. Retrieved February 2, 2007 is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. Active since 1980, he has recorded 13 albums and releas ...

Chris Murphy Christopher Scott Murphy (born August 3, 1973) is an American lawyer, author, and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Connecticut since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States H ...

and

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin
, The Jewish Historical Society of New Haven, 1998. (born February 26, 1953), known professio ...

discuss the history of New Haven Pizza in

Gorman Bechard Gorman Bechard (born March 15, 1959) is an American film director, screenwriter and novelist best known for his independent feature films '' Psychos in Love,'' '' Friends (with benefits),'' and '' You Are Alone''; his four rock documentaries '' C ...

's documentary ''Pizza: A Love Story''.Pizza: A Love Story
/ref> In the film the black char imparted from the ovens is described as adding a smoky barbeque flavor not found elsewhere.

References

External links

Documentary about New Haven-style pizza
(February 22, 2022) {{Pizza in the United States Pizza in the United States New England cuisine Culture of New Haven, Connecticut Italian-American cuisine Italian-American culture in Connecticut Pizza styles