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Papua New GuineaFlavors · Chicago
Pizza baked in a high-sided pan, with a buttery crust, mozzarella underneath, fillings in the middle, and chunky tomato sauce on top. It originated in Chicago in 1943 and is eaten with a fork and knife.
Traditional dish from Chicago, Illinois
Also known as: deep-dish pizza, deep dish, Chicago-style pizza
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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Chicago deep-dish pizza — Chicago, the United States
Deep-dish is Chicago’s best-known pizza outside the city. It’s baked in a round high-sided pan lined with a buttery crust that climbs up the sides. The layers come in reversed order: first slices of mozzarella, then the fillings — Italian sausage is the most traditional — and, on top of everything, chunky tomato sauce. That way the cheese doesn’t burn in the oven, where the pizza spends much more time than a thin-crust one.
The most accepted history places its creation in 1943, at a pizzeria opened that year in the Near North Side by Ike Sewell and Ric Riccardo. Who actually arrived at the recipe is debated: cook Rudy Malnati and other kitchen staff are also remembered, and families of pizzaiolos in the city claim part of the story. For decades, few places served it; from the 1970s the deep-dish spread across Chicago, and the stuffed pizza appeared, with a second layer of dough over the filling.
Because it’s tall and heavy, the deep-dish comes to the table in its pan and is served in thick slices eaten with a fork and knife. Locals note the city has another everyday pizza, the tavern-style pie, very thin and cut into squares, but it’s the deep-dish that carries Chicago’s name beyond the city.
Chicago , Illinois
High-sided pan pizza created in Chicago in 1943 and associated with the city’s name.
Wheat-flour dough with butter or oil, sliced mozzarella, Italian sausage or other fillings, chunky tomato sauce; in some places, grated Parmesan on top.
In thick slices, eaten with a fork and knife, served in its pan.
Lunch or dinner, year-round.
Your questions
Because the pizza spends a long time in the oven. With the mozzarella underneath and the sauce on top, the cheese doesn’t burn.
In 1943, at a pizzeria in Chicago’s Near North Side. Who created the recipe remains a matter of debate.
With a fork and knife. It arrives at the table in its pan and is served in thick slices.
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