Though Parmesan from northern Italy is sometimes used, the cheese is usually different from the mild mozzarella generally found on American pizza. The Sicilian variety is a distinct type of pizza, significantly different from American.
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But what is Sicilian pizza? Many of us know Sicilian pizza as the kind with a thick, airy crust served in rectangular slices. But did you know that the type of pizza known in the US as Sicilian is, in fact, only one of a number of varieties? Sicilian pizza is simply pizza prepared in a traditional Sicilian style. And there are plenty of local variations across the island of Sicily. The regions of Palermo, Messina, Catania and Siracusa all have their own particular take on this pizza.
And when it found a home in the United States, Sicilian pizza adapted again. The American version has its own distinctive characteristics too. The Sicilian pizza first originated in the region of Palermo. More sauce, more cheese, and more dough. The cheese is typically strongly flavored, and the sauce has a rich taste too, incorporating garlic, onions and herbs.
Anchovies are a traditional topping. Some Palermitan pizzerias will put the sauce on top of the other toppings. The idea is that this prevents it soaking into the pizza crust, keeping it nice and crisp. Move east from Palermo, and the Sicilian pizza changes form. In the region of Messina, in the north east of the island, the traditional pizza is called piduni. This is quite different in appearance.
It melts beautifully, creating a thick, tangy layer on the piduni. Move down the east coast of Sicily to the province of Catania, and the pizza changes again. Here, there are two main styles — pizza made in the city, and the pizza of the surrounding region. In both cases, the pizza is actually a pizza sandwich — two layers of dough, with toppings in the middle. But in Catania itself, the pizza — known as scacciata — will have a layer of toma cheese and anchovies in between.
In the surrounding region, the filling is more likely to be a mixture of tomato sauce, broccoli, sausages and potatoes.
In this case, a pizza siciliana takes the form of a calzone filled with anchovies and cheese, then fried. The pizza in the province of Siracuse, in the south east of the island, is different again. And it breaks the tradition of being served in rectangular slices. Sicilian pizza was brought to the USA by Italian immigrants. You probably know Scott Wiener from around Slice—he's the same Scott behind Scott's Pizza Tours and he has an amazing collection of pizza boxes.
What you may not have known, but is soon to be very clear, is that he is also a pizza history buff. As an introduction to his new history-centric series to run on Slice, here's a sample from his files originally posted on the Scott's Pizza Tours blog.
The contemporary pizza consumer is pretty well-versed in the language of Neapolitan pizza. We know what a wood-fired brick oven looks like, we appreciate San Marzano tomatoes and we've tasted mozzarella di bufala. We even know where to go in Naples for the most historic pizzerias on the planet. But what about other pizza styles that bare Italian pedigrees? The main alternative to round Neapolitan-influenced pies is without a doubt the Sicilian pizza. For most, the name conjures images of a thick, doughy base smothered with a healthy layer of sauce and a mozzarella blanket.
On my recent trip to Sicily, I found some interesting differences between what we call Sicilian pizza and what they call pizza in Sicily.
Upon arriving in Palermo, one of the first things I did was scout the local pizzerias. I was surprised not to find many and even more shocked at what I noticed next. Contrary to what I expected, the pizza of Sicily is not square. Am I still in Naples? Did I get on the wrong ferry? Nope, the pizza here is round and I'm just going to have to deal with it. Here's a shot of the first pizza I ate in Sicily. Looks a lot like a wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, right? That's because it is.
Don't tell anyone, but I liked this one even more than some of the stuff in Naples. Sicilians don't wear their pizza tradition on their sleeves the way Neapolitans do. In fact, they are adamant that real pizza is from Naples. If we're going to talk about thick squares of bread, let's just forget the word pizza altogether.
The ancestor of New York's square pizza goes by a completely different name and, therefore, is not found in Sicilian pizzerias. You'll have better luck heading to a bakery, or panificio. Bakeries are easy to spot and you'll instinctively know that they are Sicily's equivalent to Neapolitan pizzerias based on their frequency alone.
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