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14 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | APRIL 2023 By Theresa Rossetti, Resident Well, it's time to talk about pizza. From The History Channel: Flatbreads with toppings were consumed by the ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks. But the modern birthplace of pizza is Italy's Campania region, home to the city of Naples. The Neapolitans required inexpensive food that could be consumed quickly. An ocean away, immigrants to the United States from Naples were replicating their trusty, crusty pizzas in New York, Trenton, New Haven, Boston, Chicago and St. Louis. The Neapolitans were coming for factory jobs; they weren't seeking to make a culinary statement. Relatively quickly, the flavors and aromas of pizza began to intrigue non- Neapolitans and non-Italians. One of the first documented United States pizzerias was G. (for Gennaro) Lombardi's on Spring Street in Manhattan, licensed to sell pizza in 1905. My husband grew up a few blocks away from one of the best- known pizzerias in New York City — Louie and Ernie's. If you don't believe me, check out this review by The Pizza Snob. ht t p s : / / t he pi z z a s n o b. n e t / 2 0 1 6 / 0 8 / 0 7 / l ou i e - e r n i e s - pi z z a - perfection-in-the-bronx/ In NYC you can usually find a good pizza joint every two to three blocks. Obviously, I think New York pizza, with its thin crust, dripping with cheese and olive oil, easily foldable to eat on the go, is the best. When I think of pizza, I think lunch not dinner. Over time, regional pizzas developed. Deep Dish (Chicago-style) is pretty well known and recently I discovered there's such a thing as Detroit-style pizza, a rectangular pan pizza with a thick crust, crispy and chewy. It is traditionally topped with Wisconsin brick cheese that goes all the way to the edges and caramelizes against the high-sided heavyweight rectangular pan. Strangely, or maybe not so strangely, it was originally made in an industrial pan used for auto parts. Nowadays most places will make pizzas with a large variety of toppings, although pepperoni is still the most favored. I absolutely refuse to even discuss a fruit that comes to us from Hawaii as a topping on pizza, or the use of a salad dressing I adore as a "dipping" sauce. As Joey Tribbiani would say, Fuhgeddaboudit! As for our favorite local pizza joints (traditional crust), you might want to try A Carini's in Murrieta (fantastic cheesecake as well) or Bongiorno's in Temecula, both founded by transplanted New Yorkers. I don't have a recommendation for a Detroit pie, but Chicago Pasta House in Moreno Valley makes a great deep dish. But what about brick oven pizza you ask? If you'd like to try a truly Italian one check out Angelo's Brick Oven Pizzeria in Wildomar. The pizza menu will make you smile, his food is amazing, and the place itself is fantastic, worth the ride. Italian Food Explained (Sort Of) Part Four

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