Pizza - when to put on the cheese?

Only 4 more days to the weekend !

Not really a big dilemma, but it has had me confused since I came back from Italy yesterday. In Italy they put the cheese on after the tomatoe sauce, but here in Germany and other places I've eaten Pizza they do it the other way. As in they put the cheese on last.

Maybe it has something to do with how it melts.

Anyway I'd like answers as I wasn't able to sleep last night not knowing, sad and disturbing I know. It's the little things in life that worry me.

Forget the German way, here they can cook only Schweinbraten!
Cheese MUST be mozzarella, except in Quattro Formaggi, where you also have other kind of cheese.
Mozzarella is put as last (and only) topping on original Italian pizza, but before olive oil.

All German and American deviations of pizza should deserve another name...

an authentic "Italian" Pizzas shouldn't have any other topping other than tomato sauce and cheese (exception being slices of tomato), so naturally the cheese it going to come last

However, with muliple toppings it really does depend on the toppings. I always start with a thin layer of mozzarella (it has to Mozza, and also not fresh from the packet cos there is way too much water in it, so it has to dry off a while first. no other cheese will do) then add all vegatable toppings toppings, then a layer of cheese. Toppings like salami and ham should then go on top.

Italians make great pizzas - the very best. Americans don't.
Mozarella after tomato sauce, always.

now who told you they put Mozzarella cheese as the standard cheese on pizzas in Italy???

cheese goes on after the tomatoe sauce ... and then add some more once you have laid down the other toppings.

If they don't, they are not selling you pizza, but something else...
You could sue them! Or not pay the bill!

Pizza as we know it (or at least, as most people today refer to it) was "invented" by Italian immigrants in New York City at the beginning of the 20th century. Back when I was at uni I managed a pizzeria owned by a Calabrian.

The order is dough, sauce, a sprinkle of oregano, pizza mozzarella (not the wet pack stuff), toppings, and if there are four or more toppings, a bit more cheese to hold everything in place. Also, if adding multiple toppings they should be slightly concentrated in the centre since they'll spread during baking.

woof.

judging by Micia picture, I would say she is right. But judging by Bad Doggies experience, I would eat a Pizza that he made

I have also worked in a proper italian pizza place, and I would concur with baddoggie, although with a caveat that too much topping in the middle can cause sogginess as this is the slowest part to cook.

also depends on presentation - if you have an 'exclusive' topping such as artichoke hearts or sweet baby tomatos, its better to put them on last so theyre not covered up and look pretty.

you mean AMERICAN pizza. Pizza was being served in and around naples well before that. In fact, I think the first "modern" pizza was called a Margherita (sp?) and constisted of tomoto, cheese and basil, representing the italian flag. It was served to the napolitan king (Umberto II ?) in the 1890's.

Yes, American pizza - i.e. not the original.

In the late 19th century, pizza was sold in the streets in Naples at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was cut from a large tray that had been cooked in the baker's oven and had a simple topping of mushrooms and anchovies. As pizza became more popular, stalls were set up where the dough was shaped as customers ordered. Various toppings were invented. The stalls soon developed into the pizzeria, an open-air place for people to congregate, eat, drink, and talk.

I will just say, a bit of cheese after the tomato sauce, then the toppings, then the rest of the cheese, along with a pinch of salt and oregano. That's the way I like it, uh huh. Long live pizza.

The king of Naples also invented Neapolitan icecream. possibly. Or was that the king of Vienetta?

[img]http://www.aldi-stores.co.uk/ie/new/images_2328/9_ice_cream.jpg[/img]

"The first known pizza shop was the Port 'Alba in Naples, which opened in 1830 and is still open today. The first pizzeria in North America was opened in 1905 by Gennaro Lombardi at 53 1/3 Spring Street in New York City."

either way, the Germans blaspheme this sacred dish.

Ach n' piffle.

Gimme a Kilian's meat feast pizza with a fried egg on top any day.

Mmmmm... Meat feast...

I do not care what order they put the ingredients on as long as the main ingredient is cheese...

EDIT: It was bad enough just thinking of the famous meat feast pizza but you had to post a picture didn't you? Hungry.. very hungry...

oh so very true! American pizzas or real italian pizzas are quite different things but both are food for the gods. Most of the things you get here in Germany (exceptions are real authtntic style Italia pizzas from a wood fired oven) are not worthy of carrying the same name.

The story I heard was that the pizza as we now know it was shown to the italians by the us troops in ww2, or maybe just after! Up till then the pizzas that the italians made were fairly plain.

i heard that US troops in the Italian campaign were responsible for taking the love of pizza back to the US. Previously it had been confined to the italian immigrant population.

Hows that exactly? All the pizzas I had in Italy (which hasnt actually been that many, and always in german tourist towns) seemed the same as the ones I have eaten in Germany. With perhaps the german ones varying a bit more in quality.

They do differ a lot from the NZ ones, which have thicker crusts which I used to prefer but now I prefer the thin crust ones. Is that the american style too, the thick crust one?

Oh and isnt it really just a matter of what you order? I mean you can get the plain ones here too right? I usually order ones with lots of toppings on though, love anchovies..

IMHO, Americans (and Kilians ) put too much shit on the pizza. But, having been blasted by all knowing Br...well, people another English speaking country...that's all I'll say about that lest I get in trouble again.

edit: @Kza: in the US we usually attribute the thick crust to Chicago, or call in Chicago-style. I prefer the thin crust myself as well. I prefer it to be more dough-like than the matza they put cheese and god knows what else on here. So far I've found Mario's to be the best here, but it's still not great pizza.

yes, I know, I just contradicted myself. whatever. :-)

what I can not comprehend is why on earth would anyone want pineapple chunks on a pizza

because thats what pizzas have on them when they harvest them from genuine pizza trees in hawaii.

@ worm: He collaborated on the ice-cream with Hermann Fürst von Pückler Muskau, the result is Fürst-Pückler-Eis in German.

BD was talking about Pizza "as we know it", which lets face it, for most people IS American style pizza. He was spot on about the order of ingredients too - at least, that is the order that almost every pizza restaurant uses.

The margherita thang (her consort was Umberto I, the only ruler in their 3000 year recorded history graced by the suffix "the good") was more the birth of those toppings on a pizza, rather than the pizza itself.

Pizza is all about improvisation though, and for toppings, you CAN make it all up. Its just a good idea to check out the blends of ingredients where the dish was created, 'Cos you'll find the broadest and longest established consensus on what tastes good. I only get the arse about effing Marinara pizza - IT HAS F**K ALL TO DO WITH SEAFOOD. The amount of restaurants serving a marinara sauce based on bags of frozen "frutti del mare" or whatever is simply shocking.

Of course, in proper cuisine (classic French) pizza is quite different.

just thinking about this again. (sorry)

is the purpose of the cheese to cover the topings or just to hold the topings together (as well as flavour of course).

I always thought that pizza originated as a creation from a Neapolitan baker, who, as a present to the Queen Margherita di Savoia, invented the Pizza (tomato, basil and mozzarella...like someone said, to honour the Italian flag). Hence Pizza Margherita.

when i first came to d-land, i was very confused by this so-called pizza margherita because, well, i was wondering what the hell lime juice and tequila were doing on a pizza! i thought that must taste aweful.

until someone pointed out of course it was merely a cheese pizza. now i know the truth! thanks TT.

You maybe thinking of carbonara sauce for pasta which, legend has it, became popular as US troops received loads of rations of eggs and bacon which they handed out to the local population who in turn made a sauce out of it.

Remember that pizza originally was just basically bread for poor people and topping-less. The invention of the "modern" pizza as we know it today didn't take place until tomatoes were discovered in America and more specfically until some neapolitan had the idea of adding mozzarella to the mix to celebrate the king of Italy's wedding (i.e. mid to late 1800s), as has been mentioned previously.

The cheese itself is a topping. The sticky quality of cheese allows it to hold additional toppings in place. And as I wrote before, if you have too many toppings you need to sprinkle a bit more cheese on top to hold everything in place.

woof.

I had a similar problem when I ordered a pepperoni pizza.

Indeed, and additionally, if you were to follow an order of sauce, toppings then cheese, then the toppings would be sitting on wet sauce, and when you take a bite, the cheese will drag all the toppings into your mouth, leaving you with shit down your clothes, and a hunk of untopped dough in your hand.