Iranian pizza

Iranian pizza
	An Iranian-style special pizza (Makhsoos)
Alternative names	Persian pizza
Type	Pizza
Place of origin	Iran, Iranian diaspora
Main ingredients	Pizza dough, cheese, tomato sauce, Persian Spices
Variations	Iranian-style toppings, lacking base sauce.

Iranian pizza (Persian: پیتزای ایرانی) also known as Persian pizza (پیتزای پارسی)^[1]^[2]^[3] refers to the various styles of pizza and its preparation rather than its toppings. It is characterized by its thick bread and large amounts of cheese. Iranian pizza is served in Iran and places affected by the Iranian diaspora. It is usually made with minced meat, beef sausage, bell pepper, mushroom, mozzarella cheese, and Persian spices.^[4]

History

In the 6th century BC, Persian soldiers serving under Darius the Great baked flatbreads with cheese and dates on top of their battle shields.^[5]^[6]

Style

Persian pizza has a unique taste because of the variety of the ingredients used in it. Iranian/Persian pizza can have a base that is thick or thin. Thin versions are imitations of Roman pizza with fewer toppings. However, the major characteristic of traditional Persian Pizza is the abundance of the toppings which usually include a mixture of different type of meats, sausages, cold cuts, vegetables (especially bell pepper, mushroom and white onion) covered with thick layer of panir-e-pizza (pizza cheese) which is usually spread over a hand-made dough with a medium thickness.

Almost every Persian pizzeria offers major Persian Pizza varieties: Makhloot (Mixed: Ground beef, different types of sausage, mushroom, bell pepper and onion) and Makhsoos (Special: same ingredients as Makhloot without the ground beef) pizzas. Recently chicken pizza varieties (e.g. Chicken Pesto, BBQ Chicken) and vegetable pizza (bell pepper, mushroom, corn, tomato, etc.) have become popular. Major spices that are used in Persian Style pizza are Avishan (Oregano), Red pepper powder, black pepper, and Dried Garlic Powder.

Some pizzerias in Tehran serve Iranian pizza without tomato-based sauce. In that case, unlike Italian pizzerias, ketchup is widely used as a must-have condiment.

References

^ "USPTO IssuesTrademark: Persian Pizza." US Fed News Service, Including US State News. 2012. HighBeam Research. August 15, 2016.
^ Nguyen, C. Thi (August 4, 2011). "Persian pizza and much more at Café Glacé: The Find". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2021-09-29. The Find: Café Glacé's Persian Pizza is a Cheesy Delight
^ Alinejad, Donya (2013-01-01). "Locating Home in a "Digital Age": An Ethnographic Case Study of Second-Generation Iranian Americans in LA and their Use of Internet Media". Iranian Studies. 46 (1): 95–113. doi:10.1080/00210862.2012.743309. ISSN 0021-0862. S2CID 143888527. … In 2010, the LA Times' coverage of an innovative, Iranian-run establishment in the "Living" rubric referred to the restaurant "Café Glacé" as making "Persian Pizza." In a city in which the practice of "eating out" is a regular affair, awareness of LA's abundance of other ethnically …
^ Hoffman, Diane M. (1989). "Self and Culture Revisited: Culture Acquisition among Iranians in the United States". Ethos. 17 (1): 32–49. doi:10.1525/eth.1989.17.1.02a00020. ISSN 0091-2131. JSTOR 640303. … Even at the most elemental level of cuisine, stories of "personal success" such as that of the "Iranian Pizza Man" (Iran Times, May 17, 1985) demonstrate the creative possibilities inherent in combining ingredients from the two cultures in a sort of "Iranian Pizza."
^ "Pizza, A Slice of American History" Liz Barrett (2014), p. 13
^ "The Science of Bakery Products" W. P. Edwards (2007), p. 199