9 Variations of Pizza From Around The Globe

American

• Californian style: Similar crust to the Neapolitan original — thin and airy — but with an array of strange ingredients. A style that took off in the 1980s.

• Chicago deep dish: Developed by Pizza Uno in the 1940s, the Chicago deep dish pizza has a thick doughy crust — almost like a cake. Cheese is usually under the sauce so that it doesn’t burn.

• Detroit style: A square pizza, similar to classic Sicilian pizzas, with caramelised, deep dish crusts.

• New Jersey ‘pizza pie’: Similar crust to classic Neapolitan or New York style pizzas, however the cheese and toppings are placed on top of the pizza sauce, making the tart flavour of the sauce the most dominant. Said the be the second-oldest pizza style in the US.

Image source Carson L via Flickr

Turkish

The Turkish variation of the pizza, named lamacun, is quite similar to traditional Lebaneselahembajin. It often features a thin crust with minced meat, with chopped herbs and vegetables on top.

Image source George Wesley via Flickr

Polish

Zapiekanka is a Polish street food somewhere between a pizza and a sub. Grated cheese and chopped vegetables are melted on top of a long baguette-style roll and topped with tomato sauce.

Image source Boštjan Cigan via Flickr

Greek

Greek pizza tends to have quite a different crust than traditional Italian pizza. It is generally cooked in a heavily oiled pan and is puffy, oily and chewy, similar to focaccia. Toppings tend to be Greek favourites like fetta, olives, red onion.

Image sourceHungry Dudes via Flickr

German and French

Tarte Flambee or Flammkuchen, is a Western European cousin of the pizza. It features thinly rolled bread (usually rectangular) covered with either fromage blanc or crème fraîche, very thinly slced white onions and lardons (small slices or chunks of pork fat).

Image source Nicolas Winspeare via Flickr

Georgian

Khachapuri is a distant cousin to the pizza, a little more like pide, however its cheesy core makes it family all the same. Made from a flat bread ‘shoe’ the middle is filled with cheese and egg, typically with other ingredients scattered on top.

Image source danielle bustamante via Flickr

Spanish

Coca is a Spanish pastry, very similar to pizza. Made up of very oily, sometimes sticky flatbread, it is usually topped with Spanish sausage and grilled vegetables. It can be closed (like a pie) or open like a pizza.

Image source Spanish Hipster via Flickr

Indian

Paratha is an Indian dish very similar to the classic Neapolitan pizza base — thin and crispy. It has many different variations with traditional pizza-style ingredients like meats, vegetables and egg often being placed on top or cooked inside.

Image source Christopher Faira via Flickr

Lebanese

Finally the Lebanese ‘pizza’. Manakish, or man’ousheh, is a delicious dish made from dough topped with oil and zaatar. It has been modified in many ways, being topped with cheese, minced meats, vegetables and egg. Lahembajin is another popular pizza-type dish from Lebanon — it roughly translates to ‘meat on dough’ with a delicious mixture on herbs, veggies and spices being mixed in with ground meat and spread on to flatbread.

Image source here via Flickr