St. Louis-style pizza is a type of pizza popular in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, Missouri, and surrounding areas. The style has a thin cracker-like crust made without yeast, generally uses

Provel Provel () is a white processed cheese product particularly popular in St. Louis cuisine, that is a combination of cheddar, Swiss, and provolone cheeses. Provel has a low melting point, and therefore has a gooey and almost buttery texture at room ...

cheese, and is cut into squares or rectangles instead of wedges. St. Louis-style pizza may be ordered at many local restaurants, including local chains such as Imo's Pizza and Cecil Whittaker's. Frozen versions are sold at local supermarkets such as

Schnucks Schnucks is a supermarket chain. Based in the St. Louis area, the company was founded in 1939 with the opening of a store in north St. Louis and currently operates over 100 stores in four states throughout the Midwest (Missouri, Illinois, Indi ...

and Dierbergs Markets.

Characteristics and preparation

Crust

The crust is made without

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constit ...

, as opposed to a deep-dish

Chicago-style pizza Chicago-style pizza is pizza prepared according to several different styles developed in Chicago, widely referred to simply as deep dish pizza due to its cooking style. The pan in which it is baked gives the pizza its characteristically high edg ...

or the thin but

leavened Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

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 ...

, yielding a somewhat crisp and cracker-like crust that cannot be easily folded. Instead of the larger pie-like wedges typical of many pizza styles, St. Louis pizza is typically cut into three- or four-inch squares, a style referred to as ''party'' or ''tavern cut.'' Correspondingly, some local restaurants make their pizzas rectangular rather than round. The reason remains unknown. Some say Ed Imo—founder of a prominent chain of St. Louis pizzerias—was a tile layer and cut his pizza accordingly; others say it is a practical measure that seeks to keep the thin crust from cracking under the weight of the toppings. File:St. Louis-style pizza (2).jpg, A St. Louis-style pizza being sliced into squares

Cheese

St. Louis-style pizza often includes a white

processed cheese Processed cheese (also known as process cheese, cheese food, prepared cheese, cheese product, or plastic cheese) is a food product made from cheese and unfermented dairy ingredients mixed with emulsifiers. Additional ingredients, such as vegeta ...

known as

. Provel is a trademark for a combination of three cheeses (

provolone Provolone (, ) is an Italian cheese. It is an aged ''pasta filata'' (stretched-curd) cheese originating in Campania near Vesuvius, where it is still produced in pear, sausage, or cone shapes long. Provolone-type cheeses are also produced in othe ...

, Swiss, and white cheddar) used instead of (or, rarely, in addition to) the

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 ...

common to other styles of pizza. Provel cheese was developed by the St. Louis firm Costa Grocery in the 1950s and is made in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

primarily for the St. Louis market. The cheese is not widely available outside the St. Louis area. Image:Provel.jpg,

pasteurized

for pizza in a 5-pound block

Sauce

The sauce is often seasoned with more oregano than other pizza types. Despite its thin crust, St. Louis-style pizza can be layered deeply with many different toppings because of the sturdiness of the cracker-like crust. Some of the sauces have a sweetness to them, which is likely due to the influence of Sicilian immigrants upon Italian foods in St. Louis.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Louis-style pizza Cuisine of St. Louis Pizza in the United States Cuisine of the Midwestern United States Pizza styles

Characteristics and preparation

Crust

Cheese

Sauce

See also

References