Chicago Deep Dish Pizza

Deep dish pizza — a thick, buttery crust pressed into a deep round pan, layered with mozzarella, fillings, and a chunky tomato sauce on top (the inverse of a thin-crust pizza) — was created at Pizzeria Uno in Chicago in 1943, attributed to either Ike Sewell or Rudy Malnati (the debate is unresolved and fierce). The deep dish is Chicago's contribution to the American pizza canon and the subject of the most polarised food debate in the country: New Yorkers consider it a casserole, not a pizza; Chicagoans consider New York pizza a cracker with toppings. Both positions are held with genuine passion. The deep dish descends from the Italian-American community of Chicago and represents the Midwestern instinct applied to an Italian form: make it bigger, make it heartier, make it feed more people.

A thick (3-4cm deep), buttery, slightly flaky crust pressed into a deep round pan (similar to a cake pan), layered in inverse order from a traditional pizza: mozzarella cheese directly on the dough (so it melts against the crust and doesn't burn under the extended baking time), then meat or vegetable fillings (Italian sausage is the standard), then a thick, chunky, seasoned tomato sauce on top. Baked at 220°C for 25-35 minutes until the crust is golden, the cheese is melted throughout, and the tomato sauce is bubbling. The result is a dense, substantial pie that is eaten with a knife and fork.

A deep dish pizza is a meal for 2-4 people from a single pie. A green salad alongside. Beer (Chicago has a thriving craft beer scene). Do not attempt to eat deep dish pizza while standing, walking, or driving — it requires a table, a plate, and cutlery.