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The United States of Pizza, mapsplained
🕑 Added 2025-02-09 15:06:08 +0000 UTCHow did we get so much — and so many types — of pizza? It's a complicated story with some cheesy digressions.
How this video happened
This has long been the most requested mapsplained video (after I did my videos on BBQ and beer). I didn't know how to do it, because I didn't want to publish a laundry list. But a little research and some great chats gave me a way in.
Check out more
Here's a link to the reaction video (for some paid tiers).
Canada's Pizza Capital
During the "pizza party" with viewers that I held while recording this video, Jeremy provided a tantalizing digression: had I considered Canada's pizza mecca?
I'm often aware of the extreme American-ness of my videos, and that's mostly intentional. I think the sort of narrow cultural observations I make don't scale well globally, and I also struggle to know how to research global issues. But I have to admit that the USA focus in this video stung a bit, especially when Scott of Scott's pizza tours told me about the octagonal pizza boxes of South America, or when I read in "Modernist Pizza" about Argentinian pizza, with its intriguing toppings like chorizo and hearts of palm.
So let's raise a glass or slice and toast to Windsor, Ontario's pizza. The truth is, it's one of those places that I consider barely Canadian, since it's just across the border from Detroit. But the tourism board still brags about their distinctive style: shredded pepperoni, canned mushrooms, and a near New York-style slice crust, but with a rectangular cut.
Most consider Volcano Pizzeria to be the epicenter, so we'll feature a picture of their pie. But the style has grown beyond one pizza place. It reminded me of Quad Cities pizza - a small, but strong, pizza community with a toppings-heavy skew. Pizza is everywhere for those who have eyes to see.
Sources for the video
Modernist Pizza was, without a doubt, the most useful book. It provided a survey of pizza styles, descriptions I leaned on heavily, and great analysis (that I could use or dismiss). Happily, I believe all three of my interviewees worked on this very wonderful and very expensive book.
Scott of Scott's Pizza Tours is someone that I knew from Jeff Rubin's mostly dormant podcast (they're friends, but Scott's expertise is very much in line with Jeff's eclectic guest choices). Because I thought of Scott as a hustling businessman (running a pizza tour company seems very daunting to me), I wasn't sure if he'd be a pizzalectual. But Peter recommended him instantly, and our conversation showed me that he wasn't just charismatic, but incredibly well researched.
Peter Regas was an amazing sleuth and I'm so glad I found him via a Deep Dish article he wrote. He talked to me for quite a while, and I remarked to him that I wish half the journalists I've worked with displayed his passion for accuracy and deep original research.
Colin M. Caplan runs tours in New Haven and his book, Pizza in New Haven, is a must-read for anyone who cares about its pizza. I left out a ton of great anecdotes, including a pizza vending machine, a brief history of the pizza box, and more that Colin gets into in his book.
You want to visit a Pizza Hut classic? Rolando has you covered. His list is awesome, and so is his newsletter. He's got a book coming out next year that you'll want to check out if you love distinctive architecture and roadside history. Was a pleasure to chat with him.
I literally didn't know until typing this that there's a whole subreddit of former Pizza Huts. Bravo. I found it via the website Used To Be A Pizza Hut.
Hilariously, I read all of Pizza Tiger, the Domino's memoir, before deciding that Pizza Hut was a more visual story to be the main anchor for part II. It was fine. The founder, Tom Monaghan, was an orphan and is pretty religious (he considered seminary before Domino's). I wouldn't say I gleaned huge insights from it — definitely one of those moments though where I looked up from the book and thought, "Why am I reading hundreds of pages about Domino's right now?"
This isn't a source, but this is where I admit that I think I did legitimately enjoy my Pizza Hut pizza the most, even though I bought the actual legendary pizzas via Goldbelly. Cooking at home isn't the same as getting pizza from a restaurant, so I might have given the famous pizzas short shrift. But I don't know, that Pizza Hut was pretty good. They offer spicy marinara sauce now and it didn't disappoint.
Oh finally - got an idea for a mapsplained you want to see? Let me know.
Comments
Mathieu Yuill
interesting, I consider Detroit barely American because it’s just across the border from Windsor.
Phil Edwards
none answered either of my callouts for pizza testimonials! one was up for a month!
Emily_H
Love a good mapsplaining, and this was great, but Phil, I gotta ask: Do you not know any women?? We like pizza too!
Desmond Suarez
Great video. I watched the video with my 7 year old son. We both enjoyed it. We are getting pizza from "The Pizza Place" or Zorch in Richmond for the Superbowl tonight.
Seán Thomas Kane
Not too challenging. I made the dough a day ahead to let it rise in my fridge. If I find that recipe again I’ll send it to you.
Phil Edwards
was it hard? seeing peter's recipes made me kinda wanna try.
Phil Edwards
seeing peter's r
Seán Thomas Kane
Loved this video! I grew up in the Chicago suburbs with Giordano’s & Pizza Hut. Different pizzerias stand out to me depending on which city I was living in. On your comment about the origins of deep dish closer to the ‘70s, I have a cookbook from around 1980 that’s the Chicago Pizza Cookbook that I’ve used to make deep dish at home.
