The Brilliant Reason Chicago Thin Crust Pizza Is Cut In Squares

How many types of pizza are there? MasterClass says 10, Tasting Table has listed 15, and other sources go as high as 23. It's no surprise because pizza is popular and versatile, which has led to the development of many types of the fan-favorite food over the years. Pizza has existed since at least the late 1700s, but it wasn't popular until it reached the U.S. in the 1940s.

It was then that the popularity of pizza took off, and the different varieties began to spring up. One style of pizza that came about was the Chicago style. Chicago-style pizza is often depicted as deep-dish topped with lots of cheese and sauce, but Chicago thin-crust pizza is just as popular. This type of pizza has a thin, cracker-like crust often cut into squares, also known as a "party cut" or "tavern cut." But why was this pizza made this way? The reason behind it is pretty brilliant.

The origins of Chicago-style thin-crust pizza are somewhat unclear, but it is believed that this style of pizza first appeared in the 1940s or '50s, when some pizzerias in Chicago began experimenting with making a thinner, crispier crust. Even Chicagoans can't agree which came first, thin crust or deep dish, but American chef and food writer Kenji Lopez-Alt has explored the reason behind that iconic square cut.

As reported by The New York Times, Lopez-Alt spent five months exploring Chicago-style thin-crust pizza, and what he discovered was that workers from the stockyards in Chicago would stop by the taverns for lunch or on their way home from work. These taverns would give away free pizza to entice workers to stop in for a drink. By cutting the pizza slices into a square shape rather than a triangle that flops at the end, they could place the pizza slices on a napkin for people to take with them as they went to and from the taverns.

Thin-crust Chicago-style pizza isn't the only style of pizza that is cut into squares, though. Other well-known square pizzas include Sicilian, Detroit-style, grandma, Midwest-style, and party pizza. These varieties have similar shapes and are different in how they are made. For example, Detroit-style pizza is almost the complete opposite of the cracker-thin crust of a Chicago thin-crust pizza. Detroit-style pizza is traditionally made in a well-oiled rectangular pan. This results in the pizza having a crispy, thick, caramelized crust that forms on the edges of the pizza.

The preference between square or triangle-cut pizza can be a source of heated debate. Ultimately, the shape of the pizza slice does not affect the taste or quality, so the choice between a square or triangle cut comes down to personal preference and convenience. Of course, the point can also be made that pizza boxes are square, so it makes sense that the pizza inside the box should be square, too.