Hardly any snack has ever come closer to being systemically important than the legendary New York pizza slice. Hundreds of thousands of metropolitans would not be able to get through subways, urban canyons and 14-hour days without their calorific value. A cheese-to-go pizza slice: it’s the fuel of the fast-moving East Coast US. Rich in history, rich in flavor. A tribute.
Lombardi’s first serve – and the way to the slice
The first pizzeria in New York is said to have been opened by Gennaro Lombardi in 1905 – the restaurant in Manhattan still exists today. According to food blogger Ed Levine, however, that didn’t mean selling by the piece. The coal ovens of the time made the pizzas tough when they cooled down. It wasn’t until the invention of the less-hot gas oven in the 1930s that pizzerias relied on wagon-wheel-sized dough that was sold in pieces and reheated.
The classic
What is THE New York Pizza Slice? The key data: a triangular piece, slightly larger than the paper plate on which it is often served. The dough is thin and crispy, yet flexible enough to fold lengthwise. The tomato sauce is raw and simple, and the cheese is low-water mozzarella.
That’s all it took for the first golden age of New York pizza in the second half of the 20th century. Hardly anyone embodied this era like Domenico “Dom” DeMarco, who came to New York in 1959 from near Naples. For decades, his shop Di Fara Pizza drew hundreds every day to the tiny corner restaurant in deepest Brooklyn – including superstars like Leonardo DiCaprio.
Dom went to great lengths – from the dough to the tomatoes to the cheese – to bake the perfect slices. According to legend, he took the finished pizzas out of the oven with his bare hands. In 2004 he told the New York Times: “I have no intention of retiring. But I want my children to take the place. They have to follow me. They have to follow my idea.” DeMarco died last year.
Evolution
New York never stands still, and its slices are constantly changing, as pizza fan Scott Wiener explains. “New York is not a city where you can come and visit a pizza restaurant museum that hasn’t changed in 100 years,” says Wiener. A new generation of pizza bakers has settled there. The way to the pizza reinvention leads through complicated fermentation techniques, special tomatoes or the perfectly tempered oven.
According to Wiener, he eats 15 pieces a week, he earns his money with pizza tours in the city. “It’s absolutely the fuel for anyone who lives in the city,” he enthuses. A snack for everyone and at any time, regardless of salary, status and origin.
Hop oder Top?
The slice shop “L’Industrie Pizzeria” in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn is probably not missing from any leaderboard. Other stores like My Pie Pizzeria Romana, Scarr’s Pizza and Patsy’s Pizzeria are also currently considered popular.
Things are different now at “Di Fara Pizza” in Brooklyn. “There’s a reason I didn’t put this place on my leaderboard,” says Wiener. Since the death of pizza legend DeMarco, the quality has dropped.
One consolation is that his work, dedication and energy live on in hundreds of New York City pizza restaurants. So that New Yorkers continue to have the strength to never stand still.
