New Haven-style pizza

New Haven-style pizza, locally known as apizza (/əˈbiːts/, from Neapolitan ’a pizza (IPA: [ə ˈpit͡s(ə)]) "the pizza"), is a style of Neapolitan pizza common in and around New Haven, Connecticut. It originated at the Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana and is now served in many other pizza restaurants in the area, most notably Sally's Apizza and Modern Apizza. This geographically limited pizza style has gained considerable culinary and historical importance.

Characteristics

In a New Haven-style pizzeria, a "plain" pizza is crust, oregano, and tomato sauce with a little bit of grated pecorino romano cheese sprinkled on. Mozzarella (known as "mootz" in the local Italian dialect) is considered to be a topping; a customer who wants it must ask for it.

Pepe invented the "white clam pie." Pepe's restaurant used to serve littleneck clams on the half shell at the bar which he eventually decided to put on the pizza. The white clam pie is crust, olive oil, oregano, grated cheese, chopped garlic, and fresh littleneck clams.

New Haven, Connecticut

New Haven (local /nuː ˈheɪvən/, noo-HAY-vən), in the U.S. state of Connecticut, is the principal municipality in Greater New Haven, which had a total population of 862,477 in 2010. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of the Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut, which in turn comprises the outer limits of the New York metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Connecticut (after Bridgeport), with a population of 129,779 people as of the 2010 United States Census. According to a census of 1 July 2012, by the Census Bureau, the city had a population of 130,741.

New Haven was founded in 1638 by English Puritans, and a year later eight streets were laid out in a four-by-four grid, creating what is now commonly known as the "Nine Square Plan", now recognized by the American Institute of Certified Planners as a National Planning Landmark. The central common block is New Haven Green, a 16-acre (6 ha) square, now a National Historic Landmark and the center of Downtown New Haven.

Sally's Apizza

Sally's Apizza is a famed pizzeria in the Wooster Square neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut. It, along with its neighbor Pepe's, is often cited by aficionados in debates over the world's best pizza.

Fare

Sally's serves New Haven-style thin-crust apizza, which is baked in coal-fired brick ovens. By default, a New Haven pizza is a "plain" pizza topped with only tomato sauce, garlic, and mozzarella and Parmesan. Sally's is a small restaurant, and often, patrons must wait in line, sometimes for hours.

A pizza from Sally's Apizza

A pizza from Sally's Apizza

History

The restaurant was opened in April 1938 by Salvatore Consiglio, nephew of Frank Pepe, who was the owner of Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, another Wooster Street pizza restaurant. Sal Consiglio ran it until his death in May 1989. His wife Flo died in September 2012. Their children Richard, Robert, and Ruth still operate the restaurant.

See also

References

Modern Apizza

Modern Apizza is an American pizza restaurant in New Haven, Connecticut.

History

Originally called State Street Apizza, Modern Apizza was founded in 1934 and has been in the same spot ever since. Unlike Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana and Sally's Apizza, the other well-known New Haven pizzerias, Modern Apizza is not located on New Haven's famous Wooster Street but rather on nearby State Street in the East Rock neighborhood. In 2011, the restaurant was visited by Adam Richman on the first episode of the Travel Channel show Man v. Food Nation.

Specialties

Like the Wooster Street pizzerias, Modern serves New Haven-style thin-crust apizza (closely related to Neapolitan-style Italian pizza). Unlike the Wooster Street pizzerias which is baked in a coal-fired brick oven, Modern uses an oil-fueled brick oven. The restaurant also sells Foxon Park soft drinks, made in East Haven, Connecticut, which many locals argue are the perfect beverages to accompany New Haven-style pizza. Modern's specialties include the Clams Casino (Clams, Bacon & Peppers) the Italian Bomb (Sausage, Bacon, Pepperoni, Mushroom, Onion, Pepper & Garlic) and a classic Italian variation: Pizza Margherita, made with fresh mozzarella from Liuzzi Cheese in North Haven, Connecticut. Modern Apizza also uses fresh littleneck clams for their white clam pies; the only difference between Modern and Pepe's is that Modern uses pre-shucked clams while Pepe's shuck their clams on location. Yet another coastal favorite is a white tuna pie.