From Neapolitan to Detroit-style — every major pizza tradition, where it comes from, and what makes it unique
Pizza has evolved into dozens of regional styles since its birth in Naples in the 18th century. Each city and culture adapted the base recipe — dough, sauce, cheese — to local tastes, ingredients, and baking methods. Below are the ten most important pizza varieties recognised worldwide.
The original pizza. 00 flour, San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo or fior di latte mozzarella, baked at 900°F for 60-90 seconds in a wood-fired oven. Soft, charred, slightly wet centre. AVPN-certified versions must follow strict rules.
Soft, chewy, slightly charred leopard-spotted crustLarge, thin, hand-tossed pies cut into wide foldable slices. Higher gluten flour creates a crisp-yet-pliable crust. Usually 18 inches in diameter, sold by the slice and reheated under a broiler.
Thin, wide, foldable, crisp underneathBaked in a deep, oiled pan. Cheese goes directly on the dough, then toppings, with chunky tomato sauce poured on top last. Takes 30-45 minutes to bake — more a pizza pie than a flatbread.
Thick, buttery crust, layered upside-downTwo forms: pizza tonda is a thin, crispy, cracker-like round pizza baked in an electric oven. Pizza al taglio is rectangular, sold by weight, with dozens of topping combinations.
Thin and crispy (tonda) or thick and airy (al taglio)Baked in a rectangular steel pan, producing a thick, airy crust with a famously crispy, caramelised cheese edge where the cheese touches the pan. Sauce is often added on top after baking.
Thick, square, crispy caramelised cheese edgesA thick, spongy, rectangular pizza, often topped with onions, anchovies, tomato, and breadcrumbs rather than mozzarella. The dough is closer to focaccia than typical pizza dough.
Thick, spongy, focaccia-likeA thick, fluffy pizza topped with caramelised onions and no tomato sauce. Fugazzeta adds a layer of mozzarella stuffed inside the dough. A Genoese-Italian immigrant creation.
Thick, fluffy, onion-topped, often cheese-stuffedThicker, fluffier dough than Neapolitan, generously topped, often with catupiry (creamy cheese), calabresa sausage, palmito (heart of palm), or corn. A distinct Italian-Brazilian fusion.
Thick, fluffy, generously toppedKnown for sweet, creative toppings — bulgogi beef, sweet potato mousse, corn, shrimp — and innovative stuffed crusts (cream cheese, sweet potato). Often sweeter than Western pizza.
Variable; often features stuffed or flavoured crustsMade with plant-based cheese alternatives (cashew, almond, soy-based) and entirely vegetable, legume, or meat-substitute toppings. Increasingly mainstream in cities like Berlin, LA, and Vancouver.
Same as base style, dairy-free