Chicago Style Pizza

I have a friend who lives near Chicago, and she tells me there is nothing like a Chicago pizza. Not just any pizza can be called Chicago pizza however; there is a special way it is made. In the simplest terms, this type of pizza is deep dish. When I say deep dish, I’m not talking about the stuff Pizza Hut calls deep dish, I mean really deep! The flat New York style pizza is what some consider the opposite, and you may find people arguing over which style is truly the best pizza. If you are a pizza lover, you can decide for yourself.

There are some places in Chicago that will deliver their pizza to your home. Seriously, even if you live in Florida, you can get Chicago pizza delivered. It won’t come the usual way, and you won’t have to tip the delivery boy. This pizza is sent to your home and you must cook it yourself, but the Chicago Pizza will be authentic, and you can see what all the fuss is about. Because my friend doesn’t live in the city of Chicago, she sometimes brings hers home or has a friend bring it when they visit, and she assures me it is good even when re-warmed or mailed to your home to be cooked.

If you find someone to mail you a Chicago pizza, be prepared to have more options for ingredients than you have ever imagined. Because so much goes into a deep-dish style pizza, there is room for just about anything you could desire. The list of veggies, meat toppings, types of cheese, and other oddities is mind-boggling. You can truly get the pizza of your dreams, and lots of it. You may not find wacky combinations like pineapple and ham at every shop, but if you look hard enough, you may find it. It will depend on the shop you choose, and how traditional they are. Some people simply believe fruit is not to be put on Chicago Pizza and that is the end of the story.

One thing you should remember about Chicago pizza is that you can’t eat a lot of it. You may be used to having two or even three slices of New York style pizza at one sitting, but with Chicago pizza, you may find that you have trouble finishing just one. The slices are so thick it’s more like eating a large slice of lasagna than it is a slice of pizza. Be prepared to take most of your pie home to eat, but remember, it’ll be good the second time around.