St. Louis–style pizza

St. Louis–style pizza
Type	Pizza
Place of origin	United States
Region or state	St. Louis, Missouri
Main ingredients	Unleavened pizza dough, sweet tomato sauce, Provel cheese

St. Louis–style pizza is a type of pizza in St. Louis, Missouri and surrounding areas.^[1] The pizza has a thin cracker-like crust made without yeast, topped with sweet tomato sauce and Provel cheese, and is cut into squares or rectangles rather than wedges.

St. Louis–style pizza is available at local restaurants and chains such as Imo's Pizza. Frozen St. Louis–style pizzas are sold at local supermarkets such as Schnucks and Dierbergs Markets.

Distinct characteristics

Thin crust

The crust is made without yeast,^[1] as opposed to Chicago-style pizza or New York–style pizza, yielding a crisp and cracker-like crust.^[2]

In contrast to the larger pie-like wedges seen in other pizza styles, St. Louis–style pizza is cut into three- or four-inch squares, referred to as a party cut or tavern cut.^[3]^[4]^[5]

It has been suggested that the square-cut was inspired by Ed Imo’s former profession as a tile-layer.^[6] The smaller slices and rigid crust help to support the weight of its toppings.^[7]

Provel cheese

Provel cheese is typically—though not always—used in place of mozzarella.^[1] Provel is a white processed cheese made from cheddar, Swiss, and provolone,^[4]^[8] developed by Costa Grocery in St. Louis during the 1950s. It’s made in Wisconsin by a Kraft Heinz subsidiary, primarily for the St. Louis market.

Sweet tomato sauce

The tomato sauce is seasoned with more oregano than other styles of pizza,^[1]^[2] and is sweeter, which is likely due to the influence of Sicilian immigrants upon Italian foods in St. Louis.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Richman, Adam (2010). America the Edible: A Hungry History, from Sea to Dining Sea. Rodale. pp. 79–81. ISBN 978-1605293028.
^ ^a ^b Viets, Elaine (2011). Death on a Platter: Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper. Penguin. p. (unlisted). ISBN 978-1101558737.
^ Barrett, Liz (2014). Pizza: A Slice of American History. Minneapolis, MN: Voyageur Press.
^ ^a ^b Kim Harwell (2003-01-11). "City famed for arch has another angle; St. Louis–style pizzas square off against all comers". The Dallas Morning News.
^ Foods of Saint Louis MO
^ Bastianich. (2011). Lidia's Italy in America, New York: Alfred Knopf. ISBN 978-0-307-59567-6. Page 272.
^ "In Defense of St. Louis-Style Pizza". Serious Eats. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
^ Lemons (2008-01-17). "Imo's Pizza in St. Louis". SeriousEats.com.