Italian Pizza vs American Pizza (Discover The Differences)

You may have noticed differences when you ate at a new Italian pizza parlor that opened nearby. Italian immigrants initially brought pizza to the US during World War II and became immensely popular. 

Although Italy originally made pizza, it reached its peak in the US. The dish rapidly took over the country and slowly changed as people altered the flavors to fit their desired tastes.

The Difference Between The Two Pizzas

The Sauce

•   Compared to the US, Italy has sauces that Americans are not used to tasting. An excellent example of this is pureed fresh tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, and garlic. These ingredients make Italian pizzas taste herby. 

Their sauce is also usually unflavored, with no additives. On the other hand, Italians may not like too much flavor in their pizza, like how Americans like it. American pizza has thick sauces and a tangy taste, like the New York Style pizza.

The Meat

• All-meat pizza is one of the best-selling pizza flavors out there. The options are endless for different types of meat — bacon, pepperoni, ham, sausages, and buffalo chicken.
• The flavor is what Americans love about their pizza. However, to Italians, adding meat to pizza is considered to be nightmare fuel. They do not include all sorts of meat into one dish.

The Crust

•   There are a lot of variations of crust in Italy. Even in tiny villages, crusts are made differently but remain tasty. The unique versions are what make Italian pizza special in a lot of ways.
•   American pizzas have thin crusts and deep-dish crusts. The big difference deep-dish crusts offer is that they are very thick. You may even think that it is freshly baked bread that you are eating, with additional flavorful toppings on top of it.

The Toppings

•   American pizza has more cheese than Italian pizza. These pizzas also have a lot of toppings you can choose from, and yes, it includes pineapple!

Baking

•   In Italy, many pizza owners traditionally use the old method of using coal and wood-fired ovens to make their pizzas. They believe that these ovens help their pizza preserve its smell and taste.
•   American pizzas mostly use today’s modern ovens, such as the convection ones, to bake pizzas. However, some pizza places try to bake their pizzas as Italians do traditionally.

Serving

• Placed in small circular pans that are only fit for one serving, Italian pizzas are served that way, compared to American pizzas cut in triangular slices. Italian pizzas also are not cut before serving. The customers are the ones to cut their own desired shape.
•   American pizzas have six, eight, or twelve slices.
•   Freshness
•   Italians ensure the ingredients they use on their pizza are fresh. The sophisticated way they also make their pizza means they are very dedicated to making the best dish.
•   On the other hand, American pizzas have become commercialized, and most fast-food chains do not care about their servings.

The Bottomline

So Italian pizza vs. American pizza, which do you think is better? There are numerous reasons why you might like American and Italian pizzas. No taste buds are the same.

If you prefer traditional pizza, the better choice is to go for Italian to enjoy its authentic and sophisticated nature. Not only is it made with strict rules, but Italian pizza makers take their job seriously.

If you prefer modern pizza, American pizza is the one for you. It offers a variety of flavors you can genuinely enjoy. So whether you like cheese pizza and pineapples, or all-meat pizza with stuffed crust, pizza in itself, is divine.