Altoona-style pizza
Style of pizza created in Pennsylvania, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Altoona-style pizza is a distinct type of pizza created in the city of Altoona, Pennsylvania, United States, by the Altoona Hotel. The definitive characteristics of Altoona-style pizza are a Sicilian-style pizza dough, tomato sauce, sliced green bell pepper, salami, topped with American cheese and pizzas cut into squares instead of wedges.[1][2][3][4]
A slice of Altoona-style pizza | |
| Type | Pizza |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Altoona, Pennsylvania |
| Main ingredients | Sicilian-style pizza dough, tomato sauce, sliced green bell pepper, salami, American cheese |
Characteristics and preparation
Crust
The crust is made of a Sicilian-style pizza dough, giving the pie a thick and soft crust. Instead of the larger pie-like wedges typical of many pizza styles, Altoona Hotel pizza is typically cut into squares.[1][3][5][4]
Cheese
While originally topped with Velveeta, Altoona-style pizza is popularly topped with yellow processed cheese known as American cheese. The yellow squares of American cheese are a staple of this dish, used instead of the mozzarella or provolone common to other styles of pizza.[1][3][5][4]
Toppings
The traditional toppings included on a slice of Altoona-style pizza are a sliced green bell pepper and cooked deli style salami with peppercorns, notable for being underneath the pizza's cheese topping.[1][3][5]
History
Altoona-style pizza originated at the Altoona Hotel in the 1950s.[6] The hotel was noted as serving "a unique pizza" in 1996 by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.[7] Following the destruction of the hotel in 2013 by fire, other local restaurants began serving Altoona-style pizza.[1]
